A Memory in the Darkness
by SNOzzie6
Summary: In an abyss of nothing, Hallie awakes with no memory of her past. Guided to the Realm of Light by strange but familiar voices, she meets Sora, Donald, and Goofy. As a gypsy's fortune slowly unravels and comes to pass, Hallie learns that her role in this adventure is far greater than she'd ever imagine, and the deadly secrets of her past are catching up to her quickly.
1. Tarot Cards

_**Memories are a crazy thing.**_

_**They can bring comfort a tortured soul.**_

_**They can warm the coldest heart.**_

_**They can bring light to the deepest darkness.**_

_**But I will use my memories**_

_**To connect our hearts together**_

_**and find you.**_

**CHAPTER ONE**

There is a fine line between dreams and reality. But when the two combine together, that's when things get really crazy.

Black was all I could see where I was. My arms and legs were extremely sore as if I just finished some hardcore training or exercising.

_How did I get here?_ I thought as I searched through my brain.

But I couldn't remember anything except one person and a few voices:

_"...One day you will receive the mystical power of the Keyblade. One day you will follow in my footsteps. One day, Kingdom Hearts will be ours..."_

_"...I can feel the light inside of her... but it is in danger..."_

_"...Not bad for an amateur..."_

_"...I'm sorry, but I need to do this..."_

The last voice I recognized as my own, but the rest I could not match a face to and none of them belonged to the one person I could remember.

My thoughts were interrupted when a small orb of light appeared in front of me. I reeled back in surprise. The orb floated in front of me. I stared at it and slowly raised my hand up to touch it. Suddenly, it spun around me, starting at my feet and making its way up until it was a foot from my face. It paused for a moment before zooming off into the darkness.

"Hey, wait!" I called. I ran after it, slowly catching up to the speeding orb. When I was close enough, I reached forward to grab it. As my hands closed around the ball, it suddenly vanished. I stopped and took deep breaths.

She sat at a table, flipping a deck of cards in her hands. An old gypsy woman, with wiry gray hair and dozens of rings on her fingers, concentrated on mixing around the cards before her. I watched her in wonder as the cards shuffled perfectly together. The woman stopped and looked up at me. I gulped and looked away for a few moments. When I returned my gaze to her, she was now the one watching me. The woman gave me a friendly smile that seemed to calm all of my nerves and warm my heart. The woman reached out a tender hand and beckoned me over. I walked slowly over to her and sat down at the chair across from her.

"Hello, my dear." the woman said. Her voice was smooth and kind. If she changed her clothing so they were more modern, she could probably pass off as my grandmother... if I could remember what she looked like. Or who she was. "Would you like a tarot card reading?"

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's when I tell you your future with fortune cards."

"Okay, then..."

"May I ask for your name first?"

"Hallie. Hallie Knowles."

"How old are you, Hallie?"

"Sixteen."

"My, such a grown young woman." the woman said, holding her hand over her heart and smiling.

She moved swiftly and gracefully as she shuffled the cards. One by one, she laid out sixteen cards.

"Pick three, please." the woman said.

I observed the purple swirled backs of the cards. Slowly and hesitantly, I picked three cards and handed them to the woman. She looked at the cards and a look of surprise flashed on her face, but it quickly melted into a big smile. She put down the first card and I flinched. The card showed a picture of me holding a weapon shaped like a key. Behind me were a few figures, but I couldn't make out who or what they were.

"You will go on an incredible journey, traveling to all kinds of places and meet many new people..."

She put down the second card. It showed one half of my face, but my hair looked as if it was cut short, like a boy's. The other half was blacked out.

"You will discover yourself in an unexpected way, but you will also discover the truth... pleasant and unpleasant."

I raised my eyebrow. The woman put down the last card, which revealed a heart with a very secure lock on it. Behind the heart were two more key weapons like in the first card crossed together in an X.

"You will find what you were searching for, and you will find what your heart has searched for." The woman stood up and her eyes twinkled. "What you thought was lost forever will be found, and you will find the key that unlocks your heart."

"Find the key that unlocks my heart?" I said as the woman walked over to me. "What in the world does that mean?"

"You will have to find that out for yourself." the woman said. She laid the cards in my hands, leaned over, and put a hand on my shoulder. I think I saw some brown hair peeking out from the gray. "But you must always remember to stay on the path of light, even when it seems like there is nothing but darkness up ahead. Along this journey, there will be happiness, laughter, and love, but there will also be sorrow, tears, and pain. Hallie... you must be strong and fight for what is right."

"...What?" I said, feeling ashamed for being hopelessly baffled by this lovely speech. The woman only smiled.

"The expectations others have for you are great, but you are the one that decides what you do with your legacy. Only you are able to decide where your destiny will take you."

I looked down at my cards as confusion and frustration crashed around inside of me.

"But I don't-"

I looked up but the woman was gone. The table, the other cards, gone. I stood up from my chair and it vanished as well. In their place was a mirror-like wall. I stared at my reflection. My straight brown hair cascaded down my back and over my shoulders, ending at armpit length. I reached up and gingerly touched the waterfall braid that curved along the back of my head. My amber eyes glistened with utmost confusion. I wore a sleeveless shirt with a white strap over the left shoulder, patterned with wide stripes: black, red, white, and pale blue. Over my shirt was an open, red, sleeveless Victorian Steampunk tailcoat. I wore mid thigh, dark denim shorts that were cuffed and slightly distressed. I wore dark brown buckle boots that reached up to my shins, with red shin-high socks peeking up at the top. A skinny, black, studded belt hooked around my shorts. I lifted my right arm up to my face and examined the thin leather wraparound cords that began at my wrist and ended at the crease of my elbow. My left hand donned a black, french lace, fingerless bridal glove.

I looked down at the first card, the one of me holding the key weapon. I sighed and reached out my arm. A light shone in front of me and I curled my fingers around it. The light disappeared and there, in my hand, was the key weapon, or in other words, the Keyblade.

Chaos Ripper.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The story of Hallie begins! Waking up in the Realm of Darkness with little to no memory, a mysterious gypsy sets Hallie's path for adventure with a tarot card fortune! **

**Can Hallie fulfill the prophecy set before her? How will these chips fall? **

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	2. Familiarity

**CHAPTER TWO**

As I wandered around in the void of nothing, the gypsy's words of wisdom played on repeat in my head.

_Okay, so great adventure, I'll discover myself in an unexpected way, I'll find the key to my heart, and something about truth and destiny... whatever THAT means. How can I get any of that accomplished if I'm stuck here?_

The sound of a child's laughter filled my ears.

"Hallie!" I gasped at the sound of my name. It belonged to a little boy. I looked around, but I was the only one here in this pit of nothing. "Hallie!"

This time the voice belonged to a little girl. They were both calling me. My feet took control and I slowly walked forward.

"Hallie!"

_Why do those voices sound so familiar?_

"Hallie!"

The voice that called me this time was of a teenage boy. I gasped.

"Where are you?" I called.

"Hallie!" He called again.

I transitioned from a walk to a sprint. The sound of children laughing and his voice calling my name occupied the space. I stopped and leaned over to catch my breath.

"I can't see you. Where are you?" I said. I could feel a lump in my throat, which meant that it was only a matter of time before I would start crying. "Someone get me out of here, please!"

Before my eyes, the outline of a door appeared and then it became whole. It was white with light detailing around the edges. A large keyhole shimmered in the center. Chaos Ripper appeared in my hand. I looked at it for a few moments before slowly raising it up to the door. Light collected at the tip of the Keyblade and shot a beam into the keyhole. There was a "click" and the door opened. The light chased away the darkness that was around me.

My name was called one last time, a mixture of the little boy, the little girl, and him. Their collected voices were coming from whatever was beyond this door. I saw a hand reach out from the light towards me: pale, feminine, tender, and covered by a tan fingerless glove. I reached out and took her hand, feeling the rough material. I floated forward into the light. It felt so warm, so comforting. I could feel my muscles relax and my eyelids droop.

"Who... are you?" I said.

I heard a light chuckle. Another hand appeared, holding a golden ribbon.

"An old friend." she said.

Our hands fell apart and I was bathed in light. However, I rather much preferred the endless light than the endless darkness.

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes and gasped to see colors besides black and white. I was in a town. It was quiet with stone buildings and colored rooftops. In the distance I saw a colossal castle hanging above the town with strange pipes and construction swirling around it.<p>

_Where am I?_

I stood up and walked along the streets of the town, passing by shops run by triplet ducklings and people quietly talking to each other. As I walked, I saw a girl with short black hair and dressed like a modern-day ninja run by.

"Excuse me." I said. "What is this place?"

"Why, this is Hollow Bastion!" the girl said. She walked closer to me and examined me. "A tourist that doesn't even know what world she's in? You don't see that everyday! Who are you?"

"World?" I said. "I'm Hallie, and I'm not really a tourist. I just arrived here and I have no idea what to do."

"Oh, my!" the girl said. "Well, I'm Yuffie. Nice to meet you!"

She reached her hand out. As I extended my arm, pools of darkness surrounded us. Heartless crawled from the pools and appeared out of the air. They charged for us. I summoned Chaos Ripper.

"Yuffie, take cover!" I cried.

Yuffie took a moment to gawk at my Keyblade before running to hide. A Shadow lunged at me. I slashed my Keyblade and it dissolved into darkness. A Soldier spun at me like a cyclone. I spun my Keyblade, knocking it away and leaving it staggering around. I lunged forward and stabbed it in the chest. It writhed and dissolved into the ground.

"Look out!" Yuffie called.

I turned my head as a Shadow emerged from the ground. It jumped and slashed its claws, striking me in the back. I winced in pain and jumped back and up into the air. I chucked my Keyblade. It charged toward the Heartless and cut through them like a hot knife through butter. I reached out and summoned Chaos Ripper back to my side and I slammed it into the ground, destroying the last Heartless. I remained on one knee as the rush of excitement that coursed through my veins began to subside. I took a deep breath and smirked. I didn't so much as break a sweat. Fighting felt so natural to me, like I've done this before. But _when_? I stood up and Yuffie came running over to me.

"That... was..." Yuffie said.

_Great. I haven't even been here 10 minutes and already I'll be nicknamed the town freak._

"INCREDIBLE!" Yuffie cried. "I can't believe it! Another Keyblade wielder!"

I paused. "Another?"

"Yeah! Wow, this is amazing! You should meet him and the others!"

"Him? Others?" I said, but Yuffie was too busy chattering away, she didn't hear me. She grabbed my arm. "Come on!"

"Wait a minute, Yuffie." I said. I wrenched myself free from her grasp. "I don't know about this. I'm sure your friends are nice and all, but I have a schedule of mine I need to take care of."

"Are you sure?" Yuffie said, pouting her lip and looking at me with puppy eyes.

"Yuffie, I-" I said.

_Go with her._ Him again. I gasped and turned around. No one was there.

"Hallie?" Yuffie said. I looked at the ground and clenched my fists. I took a deep breath. I looked back at her with a feigned smile.

"All right then. I'll meet your friends." I said.

"Great! Come on!" Yuffie grabbed my hand and dragged me through the streets of Hollow Bastion. As we ran, I turned my gaze to the castle. A dull pain throbbed in my brain.

Yuffie brought me to a little house. She opened the door and pulled me inside.

"Hey, guys!" Yuffie said.

There were about 7 or 8 people in the room and they all turned and stared at me. I gulped, which was pointless because my throat felt like it was closing up. I figured that if I tried to open my mouth, a helpless squeak would be the only thing that would come out.

"This is Hallie. Hallie, meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" Yuffie turned to me with a big grin. She waved her hand slowly behind her, gesturing like a female assistant on "Wheel of Fortune".

My eyes found their way to a pair of blue irises that calmed my nerves. The familiarity that came was unusual. Connected to those eyes was a boy standing next to a dog and a duck. He was watching me thoughtfully with his arms crossed. I held my hands together behind me and looked at the ground nervously.

"Wait until you see the best part. Come on, Hallie, show them!" Yuffie said, nudging my side with her elbow.

"Huh?" I said, my voice crackling like the fire in my ears. I stretched out my hand in front of me and paused before summoning Chaos Ripper in my right hand.

Everyone stared at me in shock. I glanced at the boy with blue eyes. His raised his eyebrows and smiled. He reached out his hand and a Keyblade, Kingdom Key, appeared in his right hand.

"Another Keyblade wielder." Leon said. "Seems like just about anyone can get one these days."

"Leon, you know that's not the case." a girl wearing a pink dress and boots said.

My instincts told me to run. I slowly backed against the door and reached for the doorknob. The blue-eyed boy noticed. He dispelled his Keyblade and approached me.

"I'm Sora." the boy said. "Nice to meet you. That's Donald and Goofy over there."

"I'm Hallie..." I said. "but, um... you already knew that..."

Sora smiled and offered me his hand. I stared at it for a moment before reaching out and taking it. As we shook, I heard a clicking sound, like someone just unlocked a door in an echo-y room. I craned my head around.

"Did you hear that?" I said.

"No. Hear what?" Sora said.

"Um... never mind." I realized that our hands were still together. I yanked it away and stepped back. "So, what brings you to Hollow Bastion?"

"We're traveling to save the worlds!" Goofy exclaimed. I raised my eyebrow.

"This is great! Hallie could come with us!" Donald said.

My face flushed. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, I do believe Hallie would make an excellent addition to the team and to the Committee." an old man dressed in blue robes said. He stroked his long white beard.

"Team? What team? I don't-"

"Perfect! They won't know what hit 'em!" Yuffie cried, pumping her fist in the air.

A lump began to form in my throat and a cold sweat trickled down my back.

"Hallie?" Sora said. I flinched and reached for the doorknob. I yanked the door open and ran out. "Hallie, wait!"

* * *

><p>I continued to run. As I ran, Heartless appeared around me, but I slashed my way through with ease. I ran up to the bailey's balcony and rested my forehead on the cold stone edge. I gulped in air and tried my best to ease my racing heart. I lifted my head and took in the view of the gigantic castle before me. I reached out in front of me and summoned Chaos Ripper. The castle blurred in the background.<p>

_"...the Keyblade. A mysterious yet powerful weapon capable of unlocking any link, any door, any heart... Someday soon you will receive a Keyblade. You will have the opportunity to become a Keyblade Master..."_

"Absolutely not." I mumbled in reply to the voice speaking in my head. The voice sounded familiar, but again, no face matched it. In fact, there wasn't even a face that I could think of. My mind remained blank. I shook my head. "Fortune or no fortune, I won't do this."

_But how will you keep your promise?_

I tensed up and I looked around, but no one was there.

_That sounded like... no. There's no way..._

"The Keyblade... a truly marvelous weapon." a voice said. "Were it only in more... capable hands..."

I gasped and looked around as laughter filled the air.

"Who's there?!" I cried.

A portal of darkness opened above me, revealing a man dress in a black cloak. Slowly, he raised his arms and 5 more men appeared dress the same.

"Who... who are you?" I said, taking a step back.

"Organization XIII!" I jumped and turned to see Donald, Goofy, and Sora standing behind me with their weapons drawn.

"Good, now we can settle this!" Sora said, clenching his fist.

"Organization... XIII?" I said.

"What a shame..." the first cloaked man said with fake offense. "How could you have forgotten about me, Hallie? After everything we've been through!"

"What are you talking about? I don't know you!"

The group of men laughed as they disappeared into darkness. My heart rate picked up as I ran towards the steps. Another portal of darkness appeared and a cloaked man stood in front of me. I cried out and stumbled back, tripping and landing on my butt.

"Oopsy-daisy!" the man said. He chuckled. "I guess I underestimated you. I thought you'd charge at me head on with that Keyblade of yours, but here you are instead shaking in your boots like a little baby. I guess even with her magic, she couldn't cure your cowardice."

"What are you talking about?!" I said.

"Hey, move it!" Sora said.

The man turned to the three behind me.

"Now do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" he said.

"I said get out of the way!"

"As if! You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing."

"Then we're gonna MAKE you move!" Donald said, readying his magic staff.

"See, that would work... if I was any old dude." the man said. "'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing "any old" about me."

"The Organization?" I said, slowly getting to my feet. Chaos Ripper appeared automatically in my hand.

"Guess you finally got your big girl pants on now." the man said. I could hear the smirk in his tone. "Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?"

"Remind us?" Sora said. He glared at him and gripped his Keyblade tighter.

The man let out a hearty laugh. "That's RIGHT! He used to give me that same exact look!"

Why did I feel like I knew who he was talking about? My face felt hot and I reached up and covered my cheek with my hand. The man turned to me and his hidden smirk deepened.

"Oh, _now_ I get what he was talking about." he said. "Boy, this is a doozy..."

"I guess you can psych us out by saying really random stuff!" Sora said.

"Believe me or not, what I say is true." the man said. "Catch'ya later, Hallie!"

The man saluted as he disappeared into a portal of darkness. My feet urged me to run.

"Hallie?" Sora said as I took a step forward. He walked over to me. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I meet you complete strangers with no knowledge or memory of my life or self, yet you expect me to suddenly plunge myself into whatever danger you may have... But it looks like that's already been done!" I said. I chuckled bitterly, then I growled and stabbed Chaos Ripper into the ground. "OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!"

Sora stared at me with wide eyes. I looked down at my hands and traced the cords on my arm.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"It's... it's okay." Sora said.

I sighed and looked at Sora. He had that thoughtful look in his eye again.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

"Because... you remind me of me." I chuckled. "No, really. You know, despite a few things. I was confused. And lost too." Sora chuckled at the memory and turned towards the castle. He gazed up at it and I watched him.

"But the biggest thing that I see is your potential." Sora continued. "We didn't mean to scare you off... but what lies ahead of us is big. You know, when we arrived at Hollow Bastion, I got this weird feeling. Like I would meet something who would be really important in my journey. Maybe it's you."

I chuckled, this time teemed with sarcasm and disbelief. Sora turned his eyes to me.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. If you don't want to join us, it's fine. I won't be mad. But, I think if you come with us..."

"I'll go with you."

Sora looked shocked, but his eyes twinkled with excitement. "Really? You mean that?"

"Yes." I said. "I guess you convinced me. If you need me to help you, I will. Besides... this journey might be fun."

Sora grinned from ear to ear. Donald and Goofy jumped in the air, clearly showing signs that they were eavesdropping. I couldn't help but smile a little

_And maybe, just maybe, I'll finally find him..._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Led to the Realm of Light by mysterious but familiar voices, as well as a stranger claiming to be "an old friend" of Hallie, the Keyblade wielder ends up in Hollow Bastion and meets Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee! As the offers of joining their quest overwhelms Hallie, she takes off, where she incidentally encounters members of Organization XIII! In the end, Hallie finally agrees to join Sora on his journey, but she is motivated by her own desires.**

**Who were the voices calling out her in the Realm of Darkness, and who was the "old friend" who personally guided her back to the Realm of Light? Why did two of the Organization members recognize Hallie? Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	3. A Vital Role

**CHAPTER THREE**

Sora returned to Merlin's house to tell everyone the good news. It'd be a long time before I would want to face those people again. As I waited outside, Sora, Donald, and Goofy came out a few minutes later.

"So, since we're planning on saving the worlds, how are we going to get to them?" I said. My tone oozed with skepticism.

The boys looked at each other.

"To the gummy ship!" Donald cried.

I raise my eyebrow as the three ran off, so I followed them. My first thought was us flying world to world to world in a ship made of candy. When I saw the Gummi ship, I was pretty disappointed to see no candy whatsoever, but I was intrigued by the material and ship itself.

"Impressive, huh?" Sora said.

"A little, I guess." I said. "You do have experience with these things, right?"

"Define experience..."

Sora plopped down at the driver's seat and ran his hands over the colorful buttons.

"Hang on a minute." I said. "Do you even have an idea about where we're going first?"

Sora turned his chair to me.

"I do, in fact." he said. "There's someone you need to talk to before we starting traveling to worlds."

"Oh, really?" I said, putting my hand on my hip. "Who?"

Sora smirked. "You'll have to wait and see."

I let out a sharp exhale of frustration out my nose. I plopped down in the seat next to Sora and crossed my arms. Sora pressed a button and the ship hummed to life. Donald and Goofy entered that ship and sat down in the chairs behind us.

"You might want to hold onto something." Sora said and gripped the steering wheel. "The first time is always the worst."

I clutched the arm rests of my chair and planted my feet onto the ground. Sora pressed a few buttons and the ship jerked forward a few feet before it tilted violently and we zoomed up into the sky.

"Whoa!" I cried, pressing my back into my chair. The Gummi ship continued to fly up. A portal opened up in the sky. We flew through it and we were now in space. My whole body ached from my muscles being tensed up to prevent myself from being flung across the ship.

"I told you." Sora said. I side-glared at him.

We now flew a straight and smooth course through the purple and black voids of space.

"Now, who is this person of great importance that I need to speak to?" I said. I crossed my left leg over my right and rested my cheek against my fist.

"We're almost there..." Sora said.

I saw something floating in the distance. As we got closer, I saw that it was a world. A tall tower sat at the top and extended into space. A purple train circled around it. Sora drove the Gummi ship into the world. We landed and climbed out. I strained my neck trying to look up at it.

"Wow." I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Come on!" Donald said. "Yen Sid is waiting for us!"

"Yen Sid?" I said.

"Yeah. He's a really powerful sorcerer." Sora said. "I bet he's actually expecting you."

_Who isn't?_ I scoffed.

We walked up the stairs to the door. The towering skyscraper made me nervous, and Sora noticed it.

"Don't worry." Sora said.

"Worrying seems like the perfect thing to do." I said.

We pushed the door open and traced our eyes up the long spiral staircase on the other side. It took a good amount of time and complaining before we made it to the top. I walked up to the door and reached out to open it, but suddenly it opened by itself. I retreated my hand back to my side and Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked through the door. Sora turned back to me.

"Come on, don't be shy." Sora said. He reached out his hand to me. I took it.

Another clicking sound. I assumed it was the door.

He dragged me into the room. There were windows shaped like crescent moons and stars that gave you a view of the starry sky. Several small bookshelves were scattered across the room. There was a large wooden desk with a large melted candle on the corner. Across the desk was a large chair with a back that almost reached the ceiling. Seated in the chair was a tall, elderly man with large beady eyes, a long grey beard, and he was wearing blue robes and a tall blue pointy hat with stars and a crescent moon on it.

"Sora. You have returned." the man said. His eyes narrowed on me. "Welcome, Hallie."

I placed one foot behind me, ready just in case I needed to run away again. "How do you know my name?"

The man held out his hands.

"Please. Do not be afraid. I am Yen Sid." the man said.

He dismissed Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I stood at the other side of the desk holding my arms stiffly at my side.

"How do you know me?" I said.

"I have expected you, Hallie. For ten years." Yen Sid said.

"TEN YEARS?!" My eyes widened. "I've never met you before in my life!"

"Indeed. We have never met in the past, but one day many years ago, my former apprentice Mickey came to me telling me about you."

"Mickey? I don't know a Mickey."

Yen Sid raised his hand and a hologram of a short and small mouse dress similarly like Sora stood nearby me. I cried out in surprise, but slowly it turned into intrigue. I swept my hand across the hologram's face. Yen Sid cleared his throat. I jumped back and stood at attention.

"Sorry. You were saying?"

"You see, ten years ago, there were three young Keyblade wielders who were traveling the worlds on a very important mission. Mickey and one of those Keyblade wielders met a young girl in a town called Radiant Garden who had a knowledge of the Keyblade and perhaps many other peculiar subjects. Mickey and the Keyblade wielder sensed a light inside of the girl. Her light was of the greatest strength and power that they had ever felt, but they also sensed that it had undergone a corruption process and, if nothing was done, the light and the child would be destroyed. Mickey returned to me and told me of the girl. At the time, I too could sense the imposing darkness lingering in this young child's innocent heart."

"And that girl... was me?"

Yen Sid nodded. "You do not recall?"

"No! I can't 'recall' anything! Nothing! Zilch! All I know is that I was wondering around in a void of nothing for who knows how long, receive a fortune from a mysterious gypsy woman that makes no sense to me, wandered around in nothing again, wound up in Hollow Bastion, and now I'm about to travel around with a teenage boy, a duck, and a dog." I huffed in anger. "My mind has been an empty canvas and I don't know why. All I remember is one face and a few voices."

Yen Sid leaned forward and folded his hands together.

"And who might this face be?" Yen Sid.

I blushed. "Um... no one special." I said. "Why can't I remember anything?"

Yen Sid leaned back again. "I do not know, Hallie. I assume that it may be the forces of darkness acting ferociously against you. That is why I wish for you to go with Sora on his adventure."

"I already agreed to go with him."

"Yes, but do you know what he is doing?"

"No, he hasn't told me."

Yen Sid proceeded to tell me; There is a group of Nobodies- the leftover remains of a strong-hearted person who has turned into a Heartless- called Organization XIII, the group of people who I met back at Hollow Bastion. They plan to gather hearts to seek the power of Kingdom Hearts so they can regain their lost hearts and become their own beings. In the meantime, Sora is searching for his friends, but Yen Sid didn't bother to tell me their names.

Yen Sid explained to me more about the Heartless and Nobodies, to the discovery of me somehow already knowing everything there is about them, but my mind was still caught on this Kingdom Hearts he mentioned. The uttering of that name caused my stomach to automatically churn in angry offense.

_Kingdom Hearts is much more than that. The Organization doesn't know what they're dealing with..._ I clenched my fists, but I immediately stopped myself. _Why am I getting so hung up about this? Yen Sid is a powerful and wise sorcerer. I shouldn't doubt what he is teaching me._

"Hallie." I snapped back into reality. "It is obvious that you were a bit reluctant when it came to joining Sora on his journey, and I wish that not be the case. You play a vital role in what is happening now and the events yet to come. Your decisions and actions along your journey will decide whether you are fit to be a warrior of light or a servant of darkness. You are the only one capable of controlling your destiny."

"Like what the gypsy said." I whispered.

"These are dark times that the worlds are facing. You and Sora are the beacons that must shine forth, vanquish the darkness, and return the worlds to light." Yen Sid said. "Are there any further questions you may have?"

_Yeah. What is it with this Kingdom Hearts contraption and why is everyone obsessed with it? What are these voices that I keep hearing in my head? Again, why can't I remember anything? Will I ever be able to find HIM again?_

"No." I said, bowing and making my way for the door. "Thank you, Yen Sid. Your teachings won't go to waste."

Yen Sid nodded. "Hallie, there is one more thing that you need to know."

"What is it?"

"The heart is a delicate entity. Our deepest hopes can turn into the harshest disappointments, which can lead people astray into the depths of darkness. Remember that although your heart might lead you into troubling situations, it also has the power to lead you through them."

I nodded and self-consciously fingered the cords on my arm.

"Anything else?"

"A true relationship is when you can tell each other anything and everything. No secrets and no lies." Yen Sid smiled. "In the end, you'll know which people really love you. They're the ones who see you for who you are and no matter what, always find a way to be at your side."

I blushed and stared at the floor for a moment. "Thank you, Yen Sid." I exited the room. Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped to their feet at the sound of the door slamming.

"So, what did Yen Sid talk to you about?" Goofy asked.

"That's a secret." I said.

"Oh, come on! I want to know!" Sora stomped his foot into the ground and crossed his arms like a child.

"In due time, Sora." I said. "I want to save my energy for climbing down these stairs."

* * *

><p>Donald and Goofy cleared out a room in the Gummi Ship for me to sleep in while Sora guided us to our first world and the official beginning of our journey. My room was small, dull, and gray, and even though it was nice and clean, the only decorations were a single cot and a gray desk. I looked around the room and tapped a finger against my chin.<p>

"I guess I'll have to pick up some souvenirs along the way." I chuckled to myself.

I walked over and flopped on my bed. As I let out a deep breath, I heard a soft thud against the floor. I glanced over and aimlessly felt the ground until my fingers bumped into something. I picked it up and brought the object to my face.

It was very small and fit in the palm of my hand. I slowly sat up and held it pinched between my thumb and index finger. It was black charm with a heart at the top and a sharp-pointed cross directly underneath. The creases of the charm were lined with a silvery-white. Connected to the charm was a link of small chains.

I stared at the charm with confused curiosity. I've never seen this before, and yet it intrigued me greatly. Just holding it caused my brain to tingle.

_This is important._ my subconscious said. _I need to hang on to this._

I nodded in agreement to my inner voice. I took the chain and connected it together around my neck, making it a necklace. I touched the charm gingerly and walked over to the window that showed the steady flow of space passing us by.

The door opened behind me. "Hallie, we're here." Sora said.

I turned halfway and nodded. He lingered at the door momentarily before returning to the control room. I looked out the window again and watched our first stop come into view.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The final step before beginning her journey: Hallie is taken to the Mysterious Tower to speak to Yen Sid. The wise sorcerer has waited to meet Hallie for **_**ten years**_** after hearing about her from King Mickey. Apparently, the mouse king and a Keyblade wielder from the past met Hallie when she was young, and they felt the strong light within her that was slowly being corrupted. Of course, Hallie doesn't remember any of the information, but the mentioning of the alluded Kingdom Hearts seems to set her off pretty quickly. Afterwards, as the gang travels to the first of the many worlds they will travel to, Hallie discovers she has a strange charm that she has no idea where or who she got it from, but she knows she must keep it, for there is a great chance it will reveal some mysteries of her past.**

**What is so important about Hallie that's worth waiting ten years for? Is it possible her past has something to do with the mystical Kingdom Hearts? What is the strange charm she found, and who gave it to her? **

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	4. Guardian

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Our first world had bamboo forests as far as the eye could see. We exited the gummy ship and my first instinct was to hack off all of these frustrating bamboo trees that threatened to whack me in the face. We followed a dirt path until we heard voices.

"Whatever, you're just scared. Admit it!" one voice said.

"Aren't you?" another voice said.

We peeked around a bush and saw a soldier dressed in green, black, and tan armor. They had black hair pulled back into a little bun. They were standing before a large black shadow of what looked like a dragon lizard standing over a pile of rocks.

"A Heartless?" Donald said.

"Let's get the jump on 'em!" Sora said.

"Gawrsh, maybe we'd better look before we leap!" Goofy said, but Donald and Goofy ignored him. They ran forward.

A tiny red dragon came scurrying out of the rocks. The soldier and the dragon cowered and ducked away. Sora and Donald stopped. Goofy and I stepped beside them.

"Is that Mushu?" Goofy said.

"That's right, I know you heard of me! I'm little, lethal, and legendary!" the dragon popped out from behind the soldier's shoulder. "Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!"

"Hey, Mushu! We missed you!" Sora said.

"Well you better HOPE I miss YOU, or else you're- you're..." Mushu said. He saw the three and stopped. "...Sora! Donald! Goofy!

"Do you know them?" the soldier said. Mushu jumped off of the soldier's shoulder and walked towards us.

"KNOW them?! Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together! Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots." Mushu leaned against Sora's ankle. "'Cause I'm a mighty dragon! Right?"

Sora stepped back and Mushu tumbled sideways. "Something like that." Sora chuckled. "And... you are?"

The soldier scrambled up to his feet. "I'm Mulan- um, no, I-I mean..." His voice sounded rather feminine.

"Ping!" Mushu interjected.

"Mulan Ping?" Donald crossed his arms.

"Just... Ping." the soldier said. His voice was suddenly deeper. I smirked. "I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou."

"You know Mushu?" Sora said.

"Mushu's one of my family's guardians."

"We didn't know we were borrowin' somebody as important as a family guardian." Goofy said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Mushu said. "And that puts you three up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here. Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!"

Sora propped his elbow onto his arm and rested his chin on his hand. "Hmm, sounds fair."

"See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial army." Mushu said, periodically switching between Ping's shoulders. "We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp."

"Would you join us? It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys, like you." Ping said.

"What do you mean "fit in"?" Sora said.

Mushu cleared his throat. "Well, um, uh, don't- don't worry about that."

I grinned and crossed my arms. "You're pretending to be a boy, aren't you?"

Sora and Donald looked at Goofy and I, then back at Ping.

"HUH?!" they cried. "You're a GIRL?!"

Ping smiled. "You didn't notice?"

Sora and Donald shook their heads.

"I think it's working." Ping said.

"I don't know..." Mushu crossed his arms. "Those two would fall for anything."

"I'm right here!" Sora said as Ping and Mushu walked on by. I suppressed a smile as we followed them.

* * *

><p>As we approached the camp, there were soldiers dressed in red, white, and black, standing like statues in a line.<p>

"Remember, girl- man-ly!" Mushu whispered to Ping.

Ping straightened up and stumbled forward awkwardly yet confidently, overly swinging his arms and bending his knees in as he walked. I sighed and walked past him. Sora stood in line. A stout, short man with a black eye to match his black hair shoved Sora back as he stood in his spot.

"'Bout time we got some grub." the man mumbled.

Sora stumbled backwards and caught himself. "Hey, no cutting!"

"Get out!" Donald stomped his foot.

The man turned around and, with an angry grunt, punched Sora in the face. Sora cried out and fell to the ground, cringing in pain. Donald mumbled under his breath and rolled up his sleeve. He tackled the man, who I have dubbed Mr. Punchy, to the ground and started smacking him around.

"Get off!" Mr. Punchy cried.

"Hey, a space in line!" a scrawny man in yellow armor pushed Mr. Punchy and Donald.

"I wonder what they're serving for lunch today." a tall, bald, and plump man said, rubbing his stomach and using it to shove everyone out of his way.

"Knuckle sandwiches!" Mr. Punchy said, lunging at the two men with his fist clenched. Donald tackled the scrawny man to the ground while Sora pulled on Mr. Punchy's bun, both dodging their punches. The plump man stood there, contentedly rubbing his stomach.

"Shouldn't someone do something?" Goofy said.

Ping watched the kerfuffle playing out before us, looking back and forth in a panic. I sighed and stepped forward.

"HEY!" I screamed. My voice echoed through the entire camp, catching the attention of the other soldiers. Everyone turned to me.

Mr. Punchy clenched his fist.

"What's a GIRL doing here?" he said. "There's no place for them here!"

"Okay, then, why don't you leave?" I said. The scrawny man laughed and Mr. Punchy growled and shoved him aside. "Now, _knock it off!_"

"Knock what off?" Mr. Punchy said nonchalantly.

"You PUNCHED me!" Sora said.

"Cutting in line!" Donald said.

"What a shrimp!" the scrawny man chuckled.

"Who you callin' a shrimp, panda lips?! I'm a bona fide guardian dragon!" Mushu cried. "You say that to my face, you limp noodle!" Ping muffled Mushu and shoved him back into his armor.

"L-let's just get back in line, okay?" Ping said.

"Whose side are you guys on? I just got slugged!" Sora said.

"Want some more?" Mr. Punchy taunted. Sora jumped back.

"_Soldiers! Get back in line!_" a harsh voice shouted.

"The captain!" the scrawny man whispered. Everyone jumped into line and stood at attention.

The captain examined the line with a fierce look in his eyes. As he passed, Sora turned and cried out. Heartless emerged from the ground. Sora summoned Kingdom Key and I summoned Chaos Ripper.

"Ping, if you're wanting to be a soldier, you've gotta know how to fight." I said. "Let's hope you're ready for this!"

"I-I am!" Ping said, but the way he nervously clutched the grip of his sword said otherwise.

Sora lunged forward and dealt a double diagonal slash, destroying two Shadows. Donald raised his staff and bolts of Thunder rained down, electrocuting several Heartless. As they stumbled around in a daze, Goofy charged and slammed into them with his shield. I charged at a group of Heartless, readying myself to slash the snot out of them, when suddenly I felt a force knock me sideways to the ground.

"Oof!" another voice and I said. I turned to see Ping laying across my back. His sword had fumbled out of his hands. He turned his head and smiled nervously at me.

"Sorry." Ping said, scrambling to his feet. I scowled and jumped to my feet. I glared at him and summoned Chaos Ripper. I twirled it in the air and caught it in reverse with my left hand and stabbed behind me. I glanced to see a Shadow writhing on the tip of my Keyblade as it dissolved into dark dust.

"Next time, stay out of my way." I grumbled, dispelling Chaos Ripper and walking over to the others.

"Looks like you had a nice little trip, huh?" Sora teased.

"You want to get punched again?" I glared daggers at him. Sora back away, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"You three!" the captain approached us. "What are your names?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy introduced themselves.

"I am Shang, captain of this... army. You're welcome in my troop." the captain said. "Your battle skills are encouraging."

Ping tried to speak up, but Shang interrupted. "You should return home."

"B-but..." Ping said. "That would dishonor my family!"

Shang stared him down. "You'd rather dishonor my troops?"

Ping's hung his head. I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Shang saw me and his eyes flared up in anger.

"I suggest YOU go home as well." Shang said.

I froze and retreated my hand to my side. "Excuse me?"

"There will be no women in my army." Shang spat the word 'women' out like it was snake venom in his mouth. Ping's face flushed.

"Oh, really?" I scowled. "Because I believe that I'm better than half of the men here, Captain." Shang growled. His hand inched towards his sword.

Sora jumped in front of me with his arms stretched out to the sides of him.

"If Ping trains hard and does his best, he'll get stronger in no time!" Sora interjected. I stared at the back of his head in surprise.

Shang's hand rested again at his side. "Hmm..."

"Just give us an assignment! We'll show you how well we can work together." Sora said.

"So... you want to be tested?" Shang said. He closed his eyes and thought about it. He opened them again after a few moments. "Our orders are to ambush Shan-Yu's army on their way here. They should be coming through the mountain pass."

"We'll smash them!" Donald cried.

"I doubt that. You four will be the advance party."

_Four?!_ I scoffed. _He wouldn't know good swordsmanship if it hit him in the head!_

"Scout out the mountain for my troops." Shang ordered.

Sora placed his hands behind his head. "That's it? No problem." He glanced at Ping. "Right?"

"R-right." Ping sighed.

They turned around and walked away. When they were about to leave the camp, I put a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Sora, let me come with you." I said.

"But the captain-" Sora said.

"I don't care what the captain said!" I huffed a breath of frustration. "I want to help you guys. I'm not going to stand around and do nothing just because one person told me to. Especially if there's Heartless running around."

"Well..." Sora glanced at the others. "Okay."

* * *

><p>At the foot of the mountain, there was a large wall of boulders blocking our path. I heard screeching above me and I looked to see a falcon circling above us in the air.<p>

"Hallie, look out!" I heard Goofy call.

I looked and jumped out of the way as a Nightwalker slashed at me with its claws. It grazed my arm and I clutched it, wincing in pain. I summoned Chaos Ripper and slashed at the Heartless, striking its side and destroying it. I pulled my hand away and it was slightly red and damp with blood. I huffed a deep breath, trying to calm the wave of nausea that hit me. Donald raised his staff and cast Cure on me. I sighed in relief and watched my wound fade away and my strength return to me.

"Thanks. Now how do we get past this obstacle?" I said.

I looked over at Sora and he gestured to our Keyblades. I nodded. We charged at the rocks and dealt a combo of slashes until it looked weak enough. We stood back then simultaneously lunged forward with our Keyblades. The rock pile dispersed into bits of debris and the pathway was clear... only to lead to another rock pile 20 feet in front of us. A routine kicked in: we would arrive at a rock pile, fight off Heartless that appeared, then Sora and I would use our Keyblades to destroy the rock pile. Finally, the path was entirely clear and we arrived at the mountain pass entrance.

"Hey, you ain't half bad." a familiar gruff voice said. We turned to see the three soldiers, Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po, approach us.

"A man among men!" Ling said.

"YOU'RE a part of Captain Shang's troop?" I said, crossing my arms.

"You bet your sweet noodles we are!" Yao said, puffing out his chest. They strolled past us up the trail. Shang followed behind.

"Ping sure did great!" Goofy said. Donald chimed.

"Hmm... Fine. I'll let you join my troops..." Shang said. "But I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to be a worthy soldier."

"Why not!?" Sora said.

"It's all right, Sora." Ping said. "I'll find a way to show him what I'm made of. Just give me a chance."

"That's the spirit, Ping." Shang said. He turned and he and his soldiers climbed up the mountain trail.

* * *

><p>At the top of the trail, there was a small village resting in the snow.<p>

"Okay, girl! Here's your chance!" Mushu said. "I saw this real shady guy. And I know it's Shan-Yu."

"Shan-Yu?!" Ping said.

"We have to tell the Captain about this." I said.

"Waaaait wait-wait-wait WAIT! Everybody use their heads a sec." Mushu said. "Now, why are we here? To make the Captain see Mulan's- I mean, Ping's talents and bring honor to her family."

"So, if we find our where Shan-Yu is and turn him in, that'll surely get the Captain's attention!" Sora said.

"Ding-ding-diiiing! Two points for Spiky!" Mushu said. "So, let's go find out where Shan-Yu is, by ourselves. Then, if we're lucky, we can fry him up for good! Though just tracking the guy down should earn us our stars... Captain Musclehead will have to notice my girl!"

We all looked to Ping.

"Okay. Let's go." he said.

"We'll help out." Sora said.

"_Now we're cookin'!_" Mushu pumped his fist in the air. "Shan-Yu is in a cave outside the village!"

* * *

><p>We entered the cave, which was literally right next to the village. We walked past some bundles of firecrackers.<p>

"What do these do?" Sora said, reaching his hand out towards the firecrackers.

I grabbed his arm and yanked him back. "Don't touch those! You want a firework show to go off in here and blow us all up?!"

Sora shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry."

We continued walking until we reached the end room. There was a stone throne with little cubby holes around the room holding lit candles inside. But that's all there was. Shan-Yu was nowhere to be seen.

"Mushu, there's nobody here..." Donald said.

"You're crazy. Check again!" Mushu said.

Donald sighed as he and Goofy turned around and left the room.

"I don't know about you, but I've always wanted to sit in a throne before." I said. I walked over to the throne and sat down in it. "A little rough. But it makes me feel like a princess."

I laid across the chair, kicked my feet up onto the other stony arm rest, and rested my hands behind my head.

"Hallie, come on." Sora said.

Suddenly, the room began to rumble. I sat up.

"What's going on?!" Ping cried.

A light pink barrier appeared in front of Donald and Goofy. Another barrier surrounded the throne and its pedestal.

"Huh?!" I said. I stood up and when I tried to run forward, I slammed into the barrier. I fell back onto my butt. "What the heck is this?!"

A figure moved behind Donald and Goofy. A muscular man holding a sword with a slight zigzag pattern. He had stringy black hair that came down his shoulders and amber eyes and where the eye should be white, it was black instead.

I gasped and pointed. "Shan-Yu!"

Shan-Yu laughed, turned around, and left the cave. Heartless appeared before Ping and Sora.

"Sora!" I called. I pounded my fist against the barrier, which glowed pink every time I hit it.

Sora summoned Kingdom Key and slashed at a Shadow. Saying that Ping attacked the Heartless would be an overstatement. He was kind of just there, stumbling around and swinging the sword aimlessly. I sighed and facepalmed. Sora swung at another Shadow. An Assault Rider appeared and slammed the flat of his spear into Sora's chest. He flew back into the barrier that surrounded me.

"Sora!" I said, crouching down to his level. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Sora winced. He sat up and clutched his head. "Don't worry, Hallie. We'll protect you guys."

Sora struggled to his feet, gripped the Kingdom Key and charged again. I stood there watching in disbelief. I watched a strategy take place. The Heartless were too distracted by Ping bumbling around to notice Sora sneak up from behind and slaughter them. Ping actually managed to destroy the last Shadow... and by that I mean he accidentally fell on top of it.

"Nice fighting, Ping!" Sora said. "You did great!"

The barrier blocking Donald and Goofy dissipated, then following was the one around me. I ran over to Sora and Ping.

"You okay?" Goofy said.

"Yeah, thanks to Ping." Sora said, putting his hands behind his head.

An acidic remark formed in my head, but then I felt a pang of guilt and stared at the ground.

"Is something wrong, Hallie?" Sora said. I looked up at him for a second before returning my eyes to the ground.

"It's just that... so far during this journey, I've treated you guys so rudely. And then I saw you fighting out there for me- us." I said quickly. "I've been nothing but aggressive towards you. How is it that you can keep me sticking around through all that?"

"Because we're friends." Sora said. He smiled. "And friends don't give up on friends."

That hit me in the heart like a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick. I gulped and glanced at Donald and Goofy. They nodded in agreement and smiled. I looked at Sora again.

"Right." I said. A genuine smile crept onto my face. I haven't smiled like this since...

My face dropped again. "I saw Shan-Yu. He must have led us here as a trap."

"We'd better tell the Captain!" Ping said.

We exited the cave, where we stood before the charred remains of the village.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie's adventure officially begins! Their first stop is the Land of Dragons, where Sora, Donald, and Goofy reunited with their fiery friend, Mushu, and meets Mulan, a woman who is disguising herself as a soldier named Ping in order to join the army! After a nasty fight against the Heartless, as well as some hot-headed wanna-be soldiers, Captain Shang recruits Sora, Donald, and Goofy as a mission squad to help prepare the way to a village in the mountains and stop Shan-Yu and the Huns, with Ping as a tag-along and Hallie as an unofficial soldier. They reach the mountains and venture into a cave nearby the village, where they believe Shan-Yu is hiding. Instead, they all fall into a trap, and Sora and Ping must fight against an ambush of Heartless. They return back to the village, where it has been destroyed by Shan-Yu! Oh, no! **

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	5. My Debt Is Repaid

**CHAPTER FIVE**

I brought my hand up to my mouth. The village was gone. The charred posts were still releasing fresh smoke into the air. Bits of blackened debris blemished the snow. Sora let out a sorrowful sigh and he frowned. Ping stepped into the village grounds.

"Captain!" he cried. Shang was struggling up to his feet, clutching his side. We ran to his side.

"Don't overdo it, captain." Sora said.

"It... it's just a scratch." Shang said. He groaned and fell to his knee.

"Shan-Yu must have done this." I said.

"Captain, the enemy! Where did they go?" Ping said.

"They went towards the summit..." Shang said.

"We'll stop them!"

Goofy scratched his head. "It kind of is our fault..." he said.

"Right..."

Mushu walked with his head hung and shoulders drooped. "You mean MY fault."

"No, Shan-Yu and the Heartless did this, not us!" Sora said. He knelt to the Captain's level. "Captain, if you can track down the villagers, we'll take care of Shan-Yu." Sora stood up and scanned the destroyed village with a scowl.

"Let's go." he said.

* * *

><p>We headed up the mountain summit, fighting and evading Heartless on the way. We stopped at the foot and looked up the mountain slope. Suddenly, a screech pierced the air, and a falcon soared above us to the mountain.<p>

"I've seen that falcon before..." I said. I gasped.

Shan-Yu stood at the peak of the hill. The falcon flew over and rested on his shoulder. In the cold air's silence, we heard strange chirping. A huge wave of Rapid Thrusters emerged from the crest of the hill. Sora growled. Shan-Yu raised his sword.

"Attack!" he cried. The Rapid Thrusters advanced towards us.

Sora and I summoned our Keyblades. I struck my battle stance: my feet planted on the ground shoulder length apart with my legs facing forward. My left foot pointed forward and my right foot pointed diagonal to the right. My Keyblade arm that gripped Chaos Ripper rested calmly at my side. My torso was twisted slightly to the right as my head faced forward. I lifted my clenched left hand and placed it across the left half of my chest and directly above my heart.

We charged in separate directions, leaping and slashing and casting magic on the Heartless. A couple of Rapid Thrusters came at me spinning rapidly like a drill. I spun my Keyblade around with my hand to block their attack and bring them in. Then I twirled around with Chaos Ripper swirling along with me, slashing through Heartless.

After the last Heartless disappeared into dark dust, we looked to the mountains again. Shan-Yu growled and raised his sword. Another wave of Rapid Thrusters appeared. Shan-Yu and the Heartless charged down the mountain towards us.

"Stand back!" Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po approached us. Yao was carrying a firecracker with a red dragon head as the missile.

"We'll handle this!" Ling said.

Yao stuck the firecracker into the snow and aimed it towards Shan-Yu. Ping scanned the mountain and gasped. He shoved Yao out of the way and grabbed the firecracker. He ran ahead a few steps and stuck the firecracker into the ground. Instead of aiming it for Shan-Yu, Ping aimed it towards the mountain. He used Mushu as a lighter.

"Hey-hey-hey! Whoa, what are you-?!" Mushu cried. The red dragon head took off into mountain, taking Mushu with it. "YOU'RE GOIN' THE WRONG WAY!" There was an explosion, and suddenly, thousands of tons of snow came rolling down the mountain.

"Captain?" Sora said. Shang approached us.

Ping gasped and ran towards Shang. "Look out!"

Snow exploded from the crest of the hill and came barreling down at us. Shan-Yu tried to run but the snow swallowed him up. Ping grabbed Shang and dragged him away.

"Come on!" I cried. I grabbed Sora's hand and we bolted down the mountain. I heard another clicking sound.

_NOW IS _NOT _THE TIME!_

As we ran to the corner of the summit, the force of the snow rushing down the hill knocked us forward and to the ground. We stood up and saw Shang, Ping, and Mushu down a ways.

"Captain! Ping!" Sora called as we ran down to them.

"Oh boy, you're okay!" Goofy said.

Shang turned to us and he did not look happy.

"You all knew, didn't you?" Shang said. "You knew that Ping was really a woman in disguise."

We collectively gasped and refused to meet Shang's ferocious glare.

"I can't believe you lied to me." Shang said. He turned his back to us and put his hands on his hips. "The punishment for high treason and dishonoring the Army... is death."

We gulped in unison. Shang turned his head to us.

"Get out of my sight... now." Shang said. "You're all dismissed."

"But Captain..." Sora said.

"My debt is repaid." Shang said through gritted teeth. He walked away down the mountain pass with his troop.

"Mulan... I blew it." Mushu said. Ping sighed.

* * *

><p>Ping, now officially Mulan again, removed her armor and underneath wore a tan and green kung-fu styled outfit. She turned to us and smiled.<p>

"Thank you, everyone." Mulan said. "Sorry I got you in trouble."

Sora shrugged. "It's no big deal. So Ping... I mean, uh, Mulan... what're you gonna do now?"

"Go back home." Mulan and Mushu started to walk down the summit.

"Your daddy's gonna be steamed as a chicken dumpling." Mushu said. Mulan sighed.

Sora wrapped his arms around me, Donald, and Goofy in an extended side hug.

"Relax. We'll take our share of the blame." Sora said.

"Well, technically, I never was a part of the army..." I said.

"But you did help us out." Donald mumbled.

Mulan smiled. "Thanks. You're all wonderful friends."

* * *

><p>We began our descent down the mountain. It was quiet aside from the crunching of our feet on the fresh layer of snow. I looked up at the sky.<p>

And that's when I saw it. Circling above us in the sky, screeching. Shan-Yu's falcon. We gasped when we heard a roar close by us. We followed the falcon's path of flight to a snowy plateau right below us. Shan-Yu stood up and Rapid Thrusters appeared beside him. They made their way down the mountain.

"Shan-Yu?! He's alive!" Mulan said. "He's heading for the Imperial City! We've got to warn Shang!"

* * *

><p>We ran through the palace doors past the weary soldiers of Shang's troop.<p>

"Shang!" Mulan called. Shang turned around. "Shan-Yu is alive! He's headed this way!"

"And why should I believe you this time?" Shang said, placing a hand on his hip.

"But... she's telling you the truth!" Sora said.

"Yeah! We saw him!" I said. "You've got to believe us!"

A screech that chilled my bones echoed above us. We looked up to the sky to see Shan-Yu's falcon circling above us. Shang looked forward towards the palace and scanned the view. That's when he saw him. Shan-Yu standing at the roof of one of the towers. He smirked at us and jumped down the tower to the other side.

"Guard the palace! Do not let the enemy get anywhere near the Emperor!" Shang ordered. Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling ran forward, swords swinging, towards the palace. "That's an order!"

Suddenly, Shang's weary soldiers didn't look so weary anymore. Or soldier-like. Darkness swirled around them and they revealed themselves as Nightwalkers. Shang gasped. Sora, Mulan and I jumped in front of him, weapons ready.

"Captain! We'll secure the courtyard, and you can save the Emperor!" Sora said. We glanced at him. He looked at the palace then back at us hesitantly.

"That's an order!" I cried. Shang nodded and ran across the courtyard towards the palace.

We attacked. I jumped out of the way as a Nightwalker lunged at me. Suddenly, I was hit by an extreme wave of electricity that coursed through my veins. I cried out in pain and I realized that I was caught in a ball of dark electricity from a Bolt Tower's bolt laser. I groaned and summoned Chaos Ripper. With a burst of strength, I deflected the bolt laser ball with my Keyblade and sent it hurling back towards the Bolt Tower, disintegrating it. I landed on the ground on my feet, then collapsed to one knee, panting hard. Sora tossed me a potion. I took a long drink of it and felt its power warm my stomach and replenish my strength. I stood up.

"Come on! The Emperor's in danger!" Mulan said.

"No time to lose!" Sora said.

We ran across the courtyard and up the stairs. Shan-Yu raised his sword and hovered it dangerously close to the Emperor's neck, an elderly man with a long white beard and mustache, and he was dressed in black, yellow, and red robes. He looked rather composed and calm despite the fact that he had a deadly sword hovering so close to his face.

"Now you'll bow to me." Shan-Yu said.

He turned and saw us. As he glared at us, Shang jumped in. He took his hand and swiped it hard against Shan-Yu's nose, then used his other fist to shove him into the ground. He took the Emperor and hurried him into the palace. The doors closed behind them. Shan-Yu ran to the palace doors, but we blocked his path.

"It ends now!" Mulan said.

Shan-Yu stared at us. His falcon landed on his shoulder and he began to chuckle. His chuckle turned into an evil cackle as he pulsated with darkness. He charged and slammed his sword down on Sora. He brought his Keyblade up and blocked it in time, but he began to squirm under Shan-Yu's strength.

"Sora!" I cried.

Something slammed into my chest. I fell to the ground as Shan-Yu's falcon circled close above me. Its taunting screech sounded like laughter.

"Oh, that is it!" I cried. "I'm going to turn you into a coat!"

I jumped to my feet and hurled my Keyblade at the falcon. It dodged it right before it would hit. I huffed a breath of frustration. The falcon dove towards me.

"Fire!" I cried, shooting out my hand. A fireball escaped from my hand and slammed into the falcon. As the smoke subsided, clumps of burning feathers floated to the ground. I looked at my hands in surprise.

_Whoa. Didn't know I could do that..._

"Sora!" I heard Donald cry.

I looked up and gasped as Shan-Yu kicked Sora in the chest, sending him flying backward into the palace door. He slumped against it.

"Sora!" I cried.

I ran forward. As Shan-Yu raised his sword and brought it down onto Sora's head, I intercepted, blocking the blow with Chaos Ripper. I planted my foot and shoved Shan-Yu back with a grunt. I glanced back at Sora, who sat slumped against the wall. A trickle of blood leaked down from his nose. Donald hovered over him and tried to force feed him a Potion. I gripped my Keyblade.

"Now it's my turn to protect you." I said quietly.

Shan-Yu roared as he glowed with darkness. He lunged at me with his sword pointed at my chest. A rush of adrenaline exploded inside of me. With a burst of energy, I slashed my Keyblade and it collided with Shan-Yu's sword. I rapidly swirled my Keyblade to the right and Shan-Yu's sword flew out of his hands and clattered against the ground. Shan-Yu dove for his sword.

"Mulan, now!" I cried.

Shan-Yu stood up and raised his sword again. At that moment, Mulan jumped down and slashed her sword down. She jumped back and it was silent. Shan-Yu stood there frozen in his pose. Finally, a groan escaped his lips and he fell to the ground. I let out a deep breath of relief. I turned around as Sora's eyes fluttered open. His pupils dilated slightly as he tried to comprehend what happened. He looked up at me.

"Did... did we win?" he said.

I smiled and nodded. I offered my hand to him and he took it. He swiped the back of his hand against his nose and wiped the blood off his face.

"Now that's what I call burning some hunny-bun! Aw, yeah! Mulan's the best! Mulan's the best!" Mushu cried, skipping around. "No, wait a minute- I'm the best! Mushu's the best! Mushu's the best!"

Mulan and I looked at each other and laughed.

* * *

><p>We stood in a line at attention as the Emperor approached us.<p>

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan." the Emperor said.

Mulan stepped forward and bowed.

"You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial soldier. You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army, and dishonored your family name." the Emperor said.

"We get the picture..." Sora mumbled. I elbowed him to silence him.

"You're a young woman. And in the end..." the Emperor continued. "...you have saved us all."

Mulan looked up and was shocked to see the Emperor bowing to her. The giant crowd below us roared.

"Your Excellency!" Mulan said.

"Captain Li?" the Emperor said.

Shang presented Shan-Yu's sword. He handed it to Mulan.

"Take this, so the world will know what it is you have done for China." the Emperor said.

"Thank you." Mulan said.

"Mulan, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Hallie..." Shang said. He bowed. "Thank you."

"'Thank you'? Is that all there is to say, Captain?" the Emperor said. "If you wish to win the heart of Fa Mulan, China's bravest woman, you'll have to be a bit more eloquent than that!"

We laughed.

"Thank you, Sora and Hallie. For everything." Mulan said.

"Now they GOTTA let me go back to bein' a guardian! They GOTTA!" Mushu said.

"But Mushu, I thought you already WERE a family guardian!" Goofy said.

"You were lying to us this whole time?!" I said.

"What? Oh, no, no- don't even worry about that, that's just real technical. Just for us guardians."

"You tricked us!" Sora cried.

As Sora was chasing Mushu around, Shan-Yu's sword glowed in Mulan's hand. She gasped and let go of it and it began to float up into the air.

"What's happening?" I said, staring up at the floating sword.

Sora stepped beside me and our Keyblades appeared in our hands. Sora held his Keyblade diagonally to the ground.

"What-"

Suddenly, our Keyblades shimmered with light. The light exploded and I gasped to see a large sketch of a crown glowing beneath our feet. The light erupted, sending sparkly twisters up into the air. I covered my eyes as light and wind blew up around me. When I opened my eyes, I gasped to see that we were no longer at the palace anymore. There were dark clouds swirling around us and occasionally light peeked through the cracks.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"The heart of the world." Sora said.

Shan-Yu's sword glowed with multiple colors. It shot a beam of light up above us, which formed into a giant keyhole. Sora jumped back and pointed the Kingdom Key at the keyhole, but nothing happened. Sora looked to me and I nodded. I jumped back, twirling my Keyblade in my hand, and pointed it at the keyhole. Simultaneously, light collected at the end of mine and Sora's Keyblades and beams of light shot from them and into the keyhole. There was a large clicking sound and we were bathed in light. When I opened my eyes, we were back at the palace with Donald, Goofy, and Mulan.

"What in the world was that?" I said.

"Every world has a heart. As we go along this journey, we need to lock and seal away the hearts of the worlds to prevent Heartless from getting to them and destroying them." Sora said.

"Oh great. More responsibility." I groaned. Sora smiled and shook his head.

"Guess it's about time to be movin' on." Goofy said.

"You shall be missed." the Emperor said.

Sora wiped his nose with the back of his glove. "Is it okay if we come back to visit?"

"Of course!" Mulan said.

"We will look forward to your return." Shang said.

"You two behave while we're gone!" I giggled.

"Whoa... Watch it, soldier!"

Mulan laughed as she covered her face in embarrassment.

"Goodbye, Sora, Hallie, Donald, and Goofy!" Mulan said.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang must take action to stop Shan-Yu before the madman causes anymore destruction. They head into the mountains, where Shan-Yu unleashes a giant wave of Heartless against them! Ping causes an avalanche that wipes out the Heartless and Shan-Yu, but soon after, Captain Shang finds out about Ping's secret and banishes the gang from the army. Ping relinquishes her disguise and returns to her true self, Mulan. As they descend from the mountains, Hallie and the others find out a shocking truth: Shan-Yu survived the avalanche! They race to the palace to warn Shang and the Emperor, where they see Shan-Yu and the Heartless have already arrived! But with their power, they defeat Shan-Yu and save China! Mulan is praised with honor from the Emperor himself, and Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	6. Far From Princely

**CHAPTER SIX**

Sora closed the doors of the giant castle we stepped inside. It was dark and super creepy looking, with gargoyle statues staring at you, a winding staircase that split to the left and right, and multiple doors that I didn't want to find out what was behind them.

"Hey, what is this place?" Sora said, walking over to us.

"It's huge." Donald said.

"And sorta gloomy, don't ya think?" Goofy said.

"Do you think someone lives here?" I said, staring at one of the gargoyles.

A roar echoed in the room that almost scared the pee out of me. We looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"Hey, does anybody else recognize that?" Goofy said.

Sora crossed his arms and tapped his hand on his chin as another roar rumbled the room.

"Hey, that's the Beast!" Sora said.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that whatever monster is making that noise is your FRIEND?" I said.

"He's not a monster!" Sora said. "Well... okay, maybe on the outside he is, but he's a good person!"

"Maybe we should check up on him." Goofy said.

"And get eaten?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Oh, lighten up, Hallie." Sora said. "Look!"

We saw a Shadow slinking against the floor. We watched it scurry into a room with an open door.

"C'mon!" Donald cried.

We ran over to the door. Donald peeked his head inside.

"Where did it go?" he mumbled.

We opened the door to the room, which turned out to be a small parlor. A giant red rug laid across the center of the floor and there was a fireplace with a fire crackling inside it. Next to the fireplace was a table. On top of it was a shimmering rose encased in glass. Donald walked over and reached up to grab it, but a Shadow popped up in front of him. He cried out and stumbled back.

"Found it!" he said.

As I walked forward, Shadows emerged from the ground around me. I summoned Chaos Ripper.

"Looks like it brought some friends." I said.

These Heartless were like the Hydra; every time you killed one, two more appeared. No matter how many Shadows perished under our weapons, they kept on coming. We backed up in front of the table with the rose. More Shadows emerged.

"Oh, come on, enough already!" Sora said.

"Somebody help us!" Donald cried.

The doors opened quickly and slammed against the parlor walls. A tall, muscular beast stomped in. He had brown fur, a purple cape, and blue tattered pants. He wore a scowl as he stood in the center of the room. Shadows lunged at him, and with a roar, he swiped his claws at them. One by one they were destroyed. He growled and stalked towards us.

"Just in time, Beast!" Sora cried.

He raised his hand for a high five, but as Beast walked past him, he swept his arm at him and pushed him aside into the wall. Donald and Goofy cried out and the Beast shoved them away as well. Beast glared at me and I jumped away before he could consider sinking his teeth into my face. Beast approached the table and delicately picked up the glass container holding the rose. He looked at it longingly, then turned around and left the room.

"Yeah, some friend you got there." I said, leaning into Sora's upside-down view.

"Gee, do ya think he maybe forgot who we are?" Goofy said.

"With this many Heartless around, something must be up." Sora said.

"Why'd he have to do that?" Donald mumbled and rubbed the side of his head.

We left the parlor. Donald stopped and looked up the staircase.

"What is it?" Sora said.

Donald turned to us. "I just know I saw a lady at the top of those stairs..." he said. We looked up the stairs, but there was no one there.

"Well... if the Beast is here in the castle, that lady musta been Belle, right?" Goofy said.

"Maybe this Belle knows what happened to the Beast." I said. "Let's go find her."

* * *

><p>We walked down the long hallway at the top of the stairs. Sora turned towards us, pressed a finger to his mouth, and said, "Shhh!"<p>

"Who are we going to disturb? The statues?" I said. Sora shushed me again. The three boys tiptoed over to the large door at the end of the hallway. We leaned against the door and listened.

"Oh, what am I going to do?" a female voice said.

Sora looked at us and pointed at the door. Donald took a few steps away from the door.

"Donald!" Sora warned, but Donald lunged at the door. The doors flew open and he tumbled to the floor. "Hey! Who opened the door?"

There was a woman standing over Donald. She wore a blue dress with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath and a white apron. Her brown hair was tied back with a blue bow in a low ponytail. She had brown eyes that lit up when she saw us.

"Oh, I'm so happy you're here!" the woman cried. She picked up Donald and hugged him. "Donald! Sora! Goofy!"

"Hiya." Sora said as he and Goofy waved.

"Put me down! Put me down!" Donald protested. Belle gasped and set him down. She smiled apologetically.

"Where's the Beast?" Goofy asked.

"Oh, he must be in the west wing. We don't talk like we used to." Belle frowned.

"Did something happen?" Sora said.

"Yes. Isn't that why you're here?"

Donald and Goofy glanced at Sora, who shrugged.

"Not exactly. But we can still help!" Goofy said. "Since we're here and all."

"The Beast won't talk to you?" I said.

"He's been acting strange lately." Belle said. "The only ones who might know why are locked up in the dungeon. I want to help them, but..."

Sora put his hand behind his head. "Wait a second. Who locked who up?"

"The Beast locked up his servants, but I don't know why."

"Well then, it's time for a little prison break." I said, casually stretching my arms.

* * *

><p>After dealing with a rather bossy wardrobe, we learned something quite unusual. The wardrobe was actually a human once until an enchantress came along and cursed the entire castle. The Beast used to be a prince before, however, he is far from princely now. We entered the door leading to the undercroft. Furniture and miscellaneous items cluttered the room. Donald approached the dungeon door and pressed his ear against it. Suddenly, the eyes of the carved figures flashed.<p>

"That's not good." I said.

The figures glowed purple and Donald jumped back. Color flushed into the figure, revealing the Thresholder Heartless. One of them tried to grab Donald, but he scurried away over to us. They engaged in the most terrifying fist bump I've ever seen. I summoned Chaos Ripper and charged. The Thresholders raised their arms together and swung their fists at me. I attempted to block, but I ended up flying into a dresser.

"Don't worry guys. I know what to do." Sora said.

He brought his hand to his heart and clenched it. He began to glow. There was a bright light, and when it subsided, Sora's clothing was now red and he twirled Star Seeker in his left hand. He jumped forward and slammed his Keyblades into the ground. Pillars of fiery light rose from the ground, vaporizing the Heartless in its path. Sora ran forward with unbelievable speed and slashed at the Thresholders with equal speed, dealing quick, powerful combos. The Thresholders writhed around as they steamed with darkness. There was another flash and Sora had reverted back to his original clothes and single Keyblade. He jumped back, twirled his Keyblade, and pointed it at the Thresholder. A Possessor shot out from the Heartless and it turned back into stone.

"Hallie! Now!" Sora cried.

I ran forward and ignited my Keyblade using Fire. I let out a grunt as I hurled Chaos Ripper at the Possessor. It cut straight through it. The Possessor floated towards the ceiling before disintegrating away into the air. The Thresholder carvings disappeared as well, and I called Chaos Ripper back to my side.

"You think the dungeon's past this door?" Donald said.

"We'll never know until we look." I said.

"C'mon, we gotta set those servants free!" Goofy said.

"He's right. Let's go." Sora said.

* * *

><p>The dungeon was rather small. Everything was concrete and wood beamings propped up the wooden ceiling layer. In the corners, piles of hay were bundled together. There were two chairs and a small crate. One chair had a candelabra, the other chair had a pendulum clock, and the small crate had a teapot and a little chipped teacup on them.<p>

"There's nobody here." Sora said.

"You mean there's nobody to rescue?" Donald frowned.

"Did someone say "rescue"?" a french male voice said.

"SHHH! Keep quiet! It might be THEM." a timid voice said.

"Oh, they look like nice folks to me." an English voice said.

"Hey, guys. You remember what the wardrobe said?" I said. "She was a human once, but an enchantress came and turned her into a wardrobe. Maybe the same thing happened with the other servants."

I approached the candelabra and grabbed hold of the shaft. I lifted it up and examined it.

"Hello?" I said.

A pair of eyes opened and a smile appeared on the candelabra.

"Bonjour." it said.

"AHH!" I screamed. I dropped the possessed candle stick. It landed back on the chair and crossed its candle arms.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." the clock said. "Haven't you ever seen a talking candle before?"

The miscellaneous items jumped down and approached us. The other three were in awe.

"I'm Sora." Sora said. He gestured to us. "Donald. Goofy. That's Hallie."

Donald jumped forward and grabbed the clock.

"...D-don't touch! I-I am self-winding, sir!" the clock cried. Donald shook him.

"I'm glad you're okay." Sora said.

The candelabra jumped up on the chair again.

"It is we who are overjoyed to see you!" he said. "And Hallie is right. We as well were cursed by the enchantress. It seemed so long ago..."

"It was a cold winter's night... An old beggar woman came to the castle, and asked for shelter." the teapot said.

"But the master of this castle, that is of course, the Prince..." the clock said. Donald opened him up and played with the pendulum. The clock smacked his hand away. "Stop that! Put me down this instant!"

Donald set him down on the chair and he brushed himself off. He cleared his throat.

"As we were saying... The master turned her away. All because of her, ahem, meager appearance." the clock said.

"Oui. He was a spoiled prince, so selfish and... how shall I say... cruel." the candelabra said.

"Lumiere!"

"The old woman warned our master not to be deceived by appearances... Still, he would not take her in." the teapot said. "The old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. She turned the Prince into a beast, a shape she thought fitting for his cold heart. And to further punish him, everyone in the castle was enchanted, too."

"Wow. That's quite a story." Sora said, placing his hands behind his head.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" I said.

"Let's get the enchantress!" Donald cried.

"Do you want to be turned into a rug, Donald?" I said. Donald crossed his arms.

"We already know what needs to be done, but with the master out of sorts..." Lumiere said.

"There have been a lot of Heartless roaming around here." Sora said. "If they're a part of this, then it's a good thing we're here."

"We should go find the Beast." I said.

Lumiere hopped down from the chair and over to the door. "Follow me, messieurs and mademoiselle! I know a shortcut!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the others arrive at a dark and ominous castle, home to a ferocious beast that is surprisingly an old friend of Sora's, who once fought alongside him. However, they aren't welcomed that nicely, as Beast is acting very strange and aggressive. They meet Belle, a woman who's staying with the Beast, and she tells them the Beast locked away his servants. They venture into the castle's dungeon, where they encounter and defeat a pair of Thresholders. Beast's servants tell Hallie and the gang of the curse placed over the castle: an enchantress cursed everyone due to the Beast's selfishness, and with the Beast acting so aggressively, they are worried if the spell will ever be broken. Hallie and the gang now set out to find the Beast and bring him back to his senses.**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	7. To Love and Earn Love

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

"It's time you dealt with Belle. She's scheming to take everything you have. This castle, your precious rose. And then- your life." I heard a voice behind the door to Beast's room. "Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong.

"I've had enough of strength. There's only one thing I want-" I heard the Beast say.

"What? To love, and be loved in return? Who could ever love a beast?"

There was a roar. Sora pushed the door open. Beast's room was a _mess_. Broken furniture pieces laid in piles along the sides of the room. On the wall, there was a portrait with claw marks slashed across it. Standing at the end of the room was the Beast. There was a man standing next to him cloaked in a black robe.

"See? She has accomplices." the man said. He floated back beside the Beast and swung his arm towards us. Light pink barriers covered the window and the door behind us.

"Organization XIII!" Sora scowled. "I should've known."

The man disappeared in a swirl of darkness. We approached the Beast.

"Hey, Prince." Sora said. Sora approached the Beast. Suddenly, the Beast threw back his head and roared.

"Sora, look out!" Donald cried.

The Beast extracted his claws and swiped them at Sora. He jumped back just in time and fell on the ground in front of us.

"Sora, are you okay?" I said, helping him up. He nodded, but he trembled in fright.

The Beast let out another roar.

"Oh, dear! Master!" the clock, Cogsworth, cried.

"It's no use. We'll have to knock some sense into him." I said, summoning Chaos Ripper.

* * *

><p>Beast fell to the ground, clutching his head. Cogsworth hobbled over to him.<p>

"Cogsworth... what happened?" he said.

"Well, Master... ah, you see... that is... How shall I say... ah, actually... mmm..." Cogsworth said.

"Well, you locked everyone down in the dungeon while the Heartless are running amok, and then you suddenly went berserk and attacked us!" I said, crossing my arms.

"Er... to put it that way, yes..." Cogsworth said.

"I did?" The Beast said.

"Who was that guy you were talking to?" Sora said. "The one in black."

The Beast looked up and scowled. "Xaldin... that's his name. He came from the darkness... He... used my anger to control me. He took all my sorrow, my sadness, my pain- and turned it all into rage. There was nothing I could do... I could no longer see the truth."

"Well, I'll be. That must be why you threw all of your friends down there into the dungeon." Goofy said. "You wanted to make sure that you didn't hurt 'em, right?"

"Was that it? Was it to protect them?" Beast said.

"Sure. We know you're good inside."

"He's right, Master. We've all seen how kind you can be." Cogsworth said. "After all... Belle can see the goodness in your heart, but I'm afraid you've yet to-"

"Belle!" The Beast said, then slumped forward. "I've mistreated her... I've mistreated her and been so selfish."

"Why don't you go and talk to her?" Sora said.

"Yeah. If you talk to Belle and apologize, I'm sure she'll forgive you." I said.

"But..."

"Come on, no excuses!" Donald said. "We'll be right there to help you out!"

* * *

><p>When we walked into Belle's room, the only person there was the wardrobe.<p>

"Master!" she cried.

"Where is Belle?" the Beast asked.

"Why, she left in a hurry. Something about going after this... man in black."

The Beast roared. "WHAT?! Why doesn't she do as she's told?!"

"Temper, temper! Her spirit is what makes Belle so special."

"We'd better go find her!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>"I'm warning you! You'll be sorry!" we heard Belle cry out.<p>

"Belle! Where are you?" Beast said.

"Beast! Help! I'm in the ballroom!"

"Let's go!" Sora said.

We ran into the ballroom as Belle ran across the floor over to the balcony.

"Belle!" Beast cried.

"I'm all right!" Belle said as she shut the door behind her.

A Shadow Stalker floated at the balcony door and watched Belle. It turned around, and when it saw us, it roared and dove into the ground. Darkness spread across the floor, up the pillars and to the ceiling. I summoned Chaos Ripper and we charged at it. It possessed everything in its sight: the pillars, the window, the chandelier. After suffering a great amount of damage, it squirmed in the air. It let out a roar and darkness surrounded it.

"Did we get it?" Sora said.

Suddenly, the darkness dispersed, and the Shadow Stalker had transformed into Dark Thorn.

"Time for round 2." I said.

It roared and turned invisible. We chased it around as it scurried across the floor camouflaged. I could barely make it out as it stood in the center of the floor.

"Sora, I've got an idea." I said. I pointed up at the chandelier. He looked at me and nodded.

We ran forward and used the invisible Heartless as a step vault. We jumped up onto the chandelier and brought it down. We grabbed the chain and spun around it rapidly, causing it to spin as well. It crashed into Dark Thorn and slammed it into the pillars as we spun, creating loud clanging noises like a mug against prison bars. Its invisibility faded. When the chandelier stopped spinning, we jumped down, Keyblades in hand, and attacked.

Dark Thorn stumbled back and let out a roar. It shimmered, and with a flash of light, it dissolved into darkness. The ballroom returned to its original colors.

"We did it!" Sora cried.

"So you think." a voice said. We turned and saw the black-robed man standing at the door.

"Xaldin!" The Beast growled and charged towards him.

"Farewell." Xaldin disappeared in a portal of darkness.

"What does he want here?"

"He's with Organization XIII." Sora said. "Ever heard of the Nobodies? When a strong-hearted person turns into a Heartless, a Nobody's created, too. See, the Organization... they've got control of all the Nobodies."

"I think Xaldin was trying to turn you into a Heartless." I said.

"Right. That way, they could get that Nobody of yours and have control over it." Goofy said.

"You're all right!" Belle cried, walking across the ballroom floor.

"Belle!" The Beast ran across the floor to her. "Belle... I-I'm sorry- I... wasn't myself. I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you. Forgive me."

Belle smiled. "I know you weren't yourself. You don't have to apologize. But I had hoped... that you might have changed a little bit." Belle said. She stepped forward and wagged a scolding finger at him. Beast cowered a little. "I wish you could start trusting me."

"Oh, I am afraid time is running short." Lumiere said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Remember the rose?"

"From the Beast's room?" Donald said.

"Precisely." Cogsworth said. "You see, if the master can learn to love, and earn love in return, before the last petal falls, the spell will be broken."

Sora put his hands on his hips and smirked. "Really? You think he's gonna make it?"

"We think so." Mrs. Potts said.

"Yup, we think you're right." Goofy said.

"I HOPE you're right..." Sora said, shrugging his shoulders.

"To love... and earn love in return?" I repeated to myself. I touched the black charm that hovered over my heart and sighed.

Our Keyblades appeared in our hands. Sora and I looked at each other, then around the room. I didn't see anything that shimmered or floated into the sky. Nevertheless, we stood with our Keyblades in front of us. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed away the keyhole.

"What happened?" Beast said as he and Belle approached us.

"The gate is open!" Donald cried even though they had no idea what he meant.

"Do you have to go?" Belle asked.

"Yeah." Sora said.

"Now, no more arguin', okay?" Goofy said.

Belle and the Beast looked at each other. Belle smiled at him and he looked away, scratching his cheek nervously.

"We'll see to it." Lumiere said.

"Take care dears." Mrs. Potts said.

"You're welcome here anytime!" Cogsworth said.

"If you hear anything about Riku or the King, the Heartless, the Organization- anything at all- let us know!" Sora said.

I glanced at him. _Who's this Riku?_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the others make their way out of the dungeon and to the Beast, where they find that Xaldin, a member of Organization XIII, had been corrupting the Beast by converting all his woes into rage in hopes of turning him into a Heartless and capturing his Nobody. They are able to free the Beast from Xaldin's control and head to the other side of the castle so Beast and Belle could reconcile. However, Belle sneaks out of her room to go after Xaldin, and she gets trapped in the ballroom by Heartless. There, Hallie and the others fight against Shadow Stalker, then later Dark Thorn. Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world, but they are reminded that Xaldin, as well as the Heartless, still looms over the castle.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	8. Meg-Mega-Trouble

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

When we landed, the first word that came to mind was "restricted".

"Where... are we?" I said.

We stood in an underground area. A lake of strange purple water ran along the rocky platform we stood on. Stalagmites broke through the surface of the lake. One large door had a barrier of green fire blocking it.

"Are you sure that this is the coliseum?" Goofy said.

"Coli...seum?" I said. The word sounded familiar to me.

"Yeah. Olympus Coliseum." Sora said.

Suddenly, a bolt of pain flashed across my brain. I cringed and clutched the sides of my head.

"Whoa, are you okay, Hallie?" Sora said, helping me to balance myself.

"Um, yeah, I think so..." I said. "That was weird."

"It's that way!" Donald said, pointing to a staircase covered in light.

"Guess we were a little off." Sora said.

As we walked over to the staircase, we heard a scream. We turned to see a woman running away from a pack of Rabid Dog Heartless. The woman tripped and fell to the ground.

"Hey!" I cried. We ran towards the woman. The Heartless growled at us and scurried away. Sora offered a hand to the woman.

"Thanks, but... I'm fine." the woman said. She looked up at us in surprise. She had long, auburn hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a lavender sleeveless dress and brown sandals. She stood up and crossed her arms. "And you're supposed to be?"

"I'm Sora, that's Donald and Goofy." Sora said.

"And I'm Hallie." Another flash of pain. I cringed slightly.

"We came to see how Hercules was doing."

The woman looked at all of us.

"You know Wonderboy?" she said dryly.

"Yeah, 'cause we're heroes, too!" Donald said triumphantly, placing his hands on his hips.

"Ya mean junior heroes, Donald." Goofy said.

"Heroes? Since when?" I chuckled.

The woman laughed. "Looks like we have a friend in common. Name's Megara. My friends call me Meg."

"So, how's Herc?" Sora said.

"Wonderboy? Well, he's duking it out at the Coliseum every day. You know, "a hero's work is never done" and all that." Meg said. "He's ready to drop, but he keeps on fighting. Even Wonderboy has his limits, though. These opponents are bad news- special deliveries from Hades himself..."

"Hades?!" Donald cried.

"Right. Lord of the Underworld. I was on my way to see him. Maybe I can get Hades to give Wonderboy a breather. If anything happened to that kid..."

"Gawrsh. Sounds like you're more than just friends!" Goofy teased. Meg blushed.

"Oh... uh, I mean..."

"You shouldn't be going into the Underworld alone. There's Heartless running around and you could get hurt." I said. "We'll talk to Hades for you."

"Thanks. But... let's keep this whole chat-with-Hades thing our little secret, okay?" Meg said.

"Our lips are sealed!" Sora said, making a zipper motion with his lips.

* * *

><p>I was right about the Heartless. As we journeyed deeper into the Cave of the Dead, Heartless after Heartless appeared in our way. We finally came to a break as we walked into one of the rooms. Suddenly, a man in a black robe sprinted at us. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades. The man ran right past us.<p>

"Run! Run away!" the man cried. He ran into a portal of darkness and disappeared.

We looked at each other, baffled.

"Okay...?" Sora said.

We arrived in a room lit up with green from the swirling pools of death below us. Haunting cries occasionally echoed against the wall. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Donald and Goofy stood close by each other and cowered in fear. Sora stepped forward.

"Hades, come out!" he called. His voice echoed, but there was no reply.

We climbed to the top of the floating path and into Hades' chamber. He wasn't alone. There was a man dressed in black pants, black shoes, and a red haori with blue lining, wielding a long and heavy-looking katana. His sword laid between Hades hands as the two struggled in a battle.

"Hades!" Donald cried.

"You?!" Hades shouted. He was looking directly at me.

The man pulled away and slashed at Hades. He slashed again, but Hades grabbed his katana and shoved him back into the ground. He summoned balls of fire in his hands, readying to throw them, but Sora and I stood in front of the man, Keyblades in hand and striking our battle stances.

"Get up!" Sora said to the man.

We attacked Hades, but no matter what we did, our attacks didn't do a thing to him. We fell back.

"Something's wrong!" Donald cried.

"I feel kinda funny..." Sora said. I agreed. I felt my strength sapping away.

"That's right! See, that's the thing. In the Underworld, heroes are zeroes. Comes with the territory." Hades said. He charged at us with ignited fists, but the man stepped in front of us. He slashed and Hades turned into a pillar of fiery smoke. He appeared again against the wall.

"Go now!" the man said.

"But we've gotta talk to Hades!" Sora said.

"What was that?" Hades said with his ears plugged.

Sora gripped his Keyblade and ran forward, but the man blocked his path. Hades summoned more fireballs.

"We can't fight him here. We have to go. Now!" the man said.

"Sora, come on." I said, tugging on his arm.

He glared at Hades, then turned around and we ran out of the chamber, down the stairs, and back into the Cave of the Dead. Sora and Goofy closed the doors shut.

Donald panted and turned around. "Is he gone?"

"Don't count on it." the man said.

Sora caught his breath and brushed some hair from his face. "Huh?"

There was a "poof". Sora looked up and gasped. He pushed himself away from the door when he saw Hades standing next to him.

"Leaving so soon?" Hades smirked.

We ran down the spiraling path, fighting off Heartless and invincible Hades. When we made it out, we collapsed to the ground and caught out breath. Sora turned his head to the man.

"You're really good. Are you some kind of hero?" he said. The man shook his head.

"No, I'm no hero... I'm just an..." the man said. He sighed. "Auron."

Sora and Goofy looked at each other.

"My name." Auron said.

Sora jumped up to his feet. "I'm Sora."

Donald jumped on Sora's back. "Donald!"

Goofy jumped on Sora's back as well. "Goofy!"

Sora grunted and they all fell to the ground.

"I'm Hallie." I said, walking next to the three. "Excuse the pile of dopiness. They're like this all the time."

"It seems we were fated to meet. Maybe you need a guardian." Auron said.

Sora shook off Donald and Goofy. "Guardian? Thanks, but no thanks." he said. He stood up and headed towards the exit. Auron chuckled.

* * *

><p>"Looks like the little brat is back. How long has it been, four years? Five?" Hades grumbled, crossing his arms. "What do you suggest I do?"<p>

"Calm down, Mr. Flames." a male personage leaned against the wall of the chambers with his arms crossed. He wore a red and black organic bodysuit. "Your moment to shine will come. Let the Keyblade wielder do whatever. It's not going to change a thing."

Hades scowled. He clenched his fists and sparks flickered across his knuckles.

"And just _who_ gave you the right to talk to me like that?!" Hades cried. The other person chuckled and shook his head.

"See? That temper of yours will be your downfall. Haven't you ever heard of a thing called destiny? You can't rewrite it. That's the annoying part about it." the male said. "But... the power of influence is just as deadly. My boss took care of them the moment that they were born. All it took was a little bit of darkness and the innocent stupidity of the child. Now all there is to do is sit back and watch."

Hades grumbled. "Fine." he said. "But it's only a matter of time before my fire meets their face."

The other person chuckled bitterly. He stretched his hand out and a portal of darkness appeared.

"I don't care what _you_ do." the person walked into the portal. He turned towards Hades. "But don't be surprised when you get shown up by them."

The male disappeared. Hades let out a frustrated scream and erupted into a pillar of fire.

* * *

><p>We ran to the door that lead us out of the Cave of the Dead, but it was closed. Sora, Donald, and Goofy tried to open it, but it didn't budge. I noticed that there were chains wrapped around the door. I traced them back until I saw a keyhole.<p>

"Sora." I said, pointing at the keyhole. We summoned our Keyblades.

"Will those open it?" Auron said.

"Yeah. I think so." Sora said.

As we raised our Keyblades up, we heard a loud roar. We turned around. A black, three-headed beast of a dog, almost the size of the room, with six pairs of eyes and six rows of sharp teeth jumped down from the ceiling. It was Cerberus, Hades's demon dog.

_Wait. How do I know that?_

"Hurry!" Auron said, slinging his sword onto his shoulder.

Sora and I pointed our Keyblades at the lock. Beams of light escaped from them and into the keyhole. It disappeared and Donald and Goofy opened the door. I watched as Cerberus pounced on Auron. Sora ran over to the door, but turned around and looked over at me.

"Hallie, come on!" he cried.

I looked at him, then at Auron.

"He needs help!" I said.

I ran over next to Auron. I summoned Chaos Ripper and struck my battle stance.

"Thought you could leave me out of the fun?" Sora said, running over and standing next to me. He summoned his Keyblade.

"Sorry, it slipped my mind." I smiled and gripped Chaos Ripper tighter.

We attacked. Sora jumped up to attack one of Cerberus's heads, only to get trapped between the other two. As the middle one was about to chomp on him, he took his Keyblade and wedged it between its teeth. He pulled it free and jumped over one of the heads that tried to bite him and up into the air.

"Sora!" I cried.

I ran and jumped up into the air. I reached out my arm. Sora grabbed it, spun me around in the air, and sent me hurtling toward Cerberus. I slashed and Cerberus fell to the ground.

"Come on!" Donald cried.

Sora, Auron, and I ran for the door. Cerberus stood up and ran for the door. As it closed, Sora, Donald, and Goofy made goofy faces at it.

"Really?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Hey, what happened to Auron?" Goofy said. We looked around. He was gone.

"He can take care of himself." Sora said. "Let's go find Megara. Then we can try this again."

We climbed up the stairs to the Coliseum. The doors opened and we walked to the courtyard. There were purple signs posted on the walls and two giant golden warrior statues on either side of the Coliseum door. Their swords were crossed together in an X. As we walked to the Coliseum doors, they opened. A muscular man with orange curly hair and pale blue eyes wearing a brown armor tunic and brown sandals walked wearily out. When he saw us, he lightened up.

"Sora! Donald, Goofy!" he said. "When'd you get here?"

"Hey, Hercules!" Sora said.

"Hi!" Donald said.

"Howdy, there!" Goofy said.

Hercules sauntered over to us. "You on another adventure?"

"Yeah, tracking down some friends, wiping out some Heartless." Sora said.

"Junior heroes, always busy!"

"You know it!"

Sora and Hercules high-fived. Hercules's eyes turned to me.

"You're a friend of Sora?" he said.

"Yeah. I'm Hallie." I said.

An excruciating flash of pain throbbed in my head. I groaned and clutched the sides of my head. I collapsed to my knees.

"Hallie!" Sora said.

I heard something shriek in pain._  
><em>

_"What... what was that thing?!" a man said._

_"An Unversed... saved her? But... why?" the voice belonged to a young boy._

_"Is she okay?"  
><em>

_"She's breathing. Lucky kid. She looks like she took a nasty spill." another man said.  
><em>

_"Let's get her inside."_

_I heard footsteps. _

_"What's this... feeling?" the young boy said. _There was a pause before I heard more footsteps and the long-lasting groan of doors shutting.

The sound of doors slamming snapped me out of it. I gasped, still clutching my head.

"Are you all right?" Goofy said.

"Yeah..." I said.

"Why does that keep happening to you?" Sora asked.

"I... don't know." I said, rubbing my temples. "Maybe it's just the Underworld affecting me. It's probably no big deal."

"Okay..." Sora said, but the concern on his face said otherwise.

* * *

><p>"So, did you find those friends of yours?" Hercules asked after we entered the Coliseum foyer. He was sitting on a pedestal.<p>

"Still working on it. When we got here we ran into Meg-" Sora said. I elbowed him in the side. "Meg-mega-trouble, I mean! So we had to help somebody out."

"Smooth." I whispered.

"We tried to go teach Hades a thing or two... but the Underworld drains away all our strength. Don't suppose you have any ideas?"

"Well, there is a stone that guards against the Underworld's curse. The gods on Mount Olympus use it whenever they have to go down there." Hercules said.

"Can we borrow it?" I asked.

"Sure! I'll go get it for you."

"Thanks." we all said.

"But... Hades is no pushover, even if you've got the Olympus Stone. And I have a match today, so I can't go with you..."

Hercules stood up.

"Know what you need? Training! Why don't you go talk to Phil?" Hercules said.

Another flash of pain in my head. I clenched my fist.

"Good idea." I said with a slightly raspy voice. Sora glanced at me.

* * *

><p>The Coliseum was big and spacious. On both sides were large stone bleachers with multiple rows. Four pillars marked the corners of the large, square, tile flooring. In the center were floating jars and a small satyr walking around and examining the jars. We approached the satyr.<p>

"Hey champ, how ya feeling?" the satyr said.

Sora waved, but the satyr kept his back turned to us. He must've thought we were Hercules.

"Better rest up for tomorrow's match. Nobody's gonna pay to see a worn-out hero... capiche?" the satyr continued. "Remember what I told you. Victory in the games comes down to two simple words: Eat, bathe, sleep."

"Uh, that's three words..." I said. Sora shrugged and the three boys laughed. The satyr whirled around and smiled when he saw us.

"Hahaha, hey! If it ain't the junior heroes!" the satyr said.

"Lookin' good, Phil." Sora said.

"Never better! How you guys been? Have you earned your "true hero" wings yet?"

The three stood triumphantly for a moment before faltering.

"Nope, you ain't got what it takes." Phil said. The three boys protested. Phil's gaze shifted to me. "So, what's up? Who's your lady friend?"

I stepped back on my right foot as the satyr studied me from head to toe. My right hand rested at my side, ready to call Chaos Ripper if needed.

"Um... I'm Hallie." I said. Another flash of pain. I cringed, hoping it passed off as discomfort.

* * *

><p>"HA HA HA! You guys are gonna take on Hades?" Phil said, unable to hold back his laughter.<p>

"What's so funny?!" Donald said.

"You got nerve. I like that. Hey, you never know- stranger things have happened, right? Better get cracking, lady and gents!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The adventure moves into Olympus Coliseum! Well, the Underworld actually. An aimless landing leads the gang to Hades's lair, where they meet a woman named Megara, who seeks to talk to Hades and give Hercules a break from fighting. Hallie and the others set off into the Cave of the Dead to go talk to Megara, where they learn in their encounter against Hades that the Underworld saps away their strength and leaves them powerless! They are saved by a stranger named Auron, and Hallie and Sora fight alongside the katana wielder against Cerberus, Hades's pet and guardian of the Underworld. After their failed attempt, Hallie and the others head up to Olympus Coliseum and reunite with Hercules and Phil, where they now prepare and train to face Hades again.**

**What's with the strange side effects Hallie's experiencing in this world? Could it be more than just the effects of the Underworld? Could it have something to do with her past? ******What was the strange vision she had at the foot of the Coliseum? **Who was the strange man Hades spoke to, and who were they talking about **

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	9. Broken Record

**CHAPTER NINE**

"First things first: practice! Smash the pots as they appear and collect Orbs within the time limit. Smaller pots give less orbs, bigger pots give more." Phil said. "Sora, you go first. Collect twenty orbs within 1 minute, 30 seconds. Ready?"

"Yeah!" Sora stood in the middle of the battlefield. He summoned Kingdom Key and struck his battle stance.

"All right... BEGIN!"

Pots appeared on the battlefield. Sora charged, slashing and breaking pots. He finished with 54 seconds left.

"How was THAT?" Sora said, placing his hands behind his head.

"It ain't over yet, kid! There's more on the menu." Phil said. "Hallie, your turn!"

I nodded and made my way over to the center of the field. With my back turned to the others, I took a deep, slow breath. I reached my hand out and summoned Chaos Ripper. I turned around and struck my battle stance.

"BEGIN!"

Pots appeared before me. Something inside of me sparked. My senses sharpened, my heartbeat increased, and a rush of adrenaline spread through my veins. I charged forward, gracefully and swiftfully. The next thing I knew, the whistle blew. As I caught my breath, I blinked and looked around. All the pots were gone. I walked over to the others.

"How did I finish?" I asked Phil. He looked at me in shock.

"1 minute, 22 seconds." Phil said.

I raised my eyebrows. Donald and Goofy patted me on the back. Sora pouted a little and folded his arms.

"Hmm..." Phil stroked his goatee. "All right, then. Next practice! Sora, your turn. Now, collect 100 orbs in 1 minute, 30 seconds."

"Okay!"

"BEGIN!"

Sora charged. He finished with 21 seconds left. Phil nodded.

"You're up, Hallie."

I walked to the center of the battlefield again. My mind drew blank, like the calm sea. Chaos Ripper returned to my side.

"BEGIN!"

Pots appeared again, and the same spark in me ignited again. My feet felt like they weren't touching the ground as I broke pot after pot. The whistle blew again and I returned to clear reality.

"1 minute, 8 seconds." Phil said, shaking his head and staring at his stopwatch.

"Wow, you're really good at this, Hallie." Sora said.

"Thanks. It was kind of easy." I said.

"Not just easy, incredible. That's the best times I've seen in 8 years..." Phil said. He stepped closer to me and examined my face. "Have I trained you before?"

"Huh? No..." I said.

Hercules entered the Coliseum. Phil left, claiming he had to go do something. When asked what it was, he responded with a sassy, "None of your beeswax." and left.

"Sorry, guys... The Olympus Stone has been stolen." Hercules said.

"STOLEN?!" we all cried.

"By who?" Goofy said.

"We don't know who did it yet." Hercules said. "All we're sure of is that it was a guy in a black-hooded cloak. And he had a bunch of accomplices- a bunch of creatures in white."

"The Organization!" I scowled.

"Someone you know?"

"Well, sort of..." Sora said. "Hey, if we can get the Olympus Stone back, can we borrow it for a while?"

"Sure. By the way, you haven't seen Meg around, have you?" We shook our heads. "Oh, okay..."

"What's wrong, your hero-ness?" we gasped when we saw Hades walk over and place a hand on Hercules's shoulder. "Feeling under the weather? You know, I thought staying in perfect shape was part of the hero job description... you know what I'm saying?"

"Oh, right... Hades, we gotta talk!" Sora said.

Hades flicked Sora on the forehead with such strength that he fell back onto the ground.

"What do you want, Hades?" I said.

Hades looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"I came to share a bit of mildly interesting news: seems your dear, sweet little Nutmeg..." Hercules crept up and tried to punch Hades, but he disappeared in a puff of fiery smoke. He appeared behind him. "...went and got herself lost in the Underworld."

"You mean you kidnapped her!" Hercules said.

"Well, maybe... But why get caught up in the details?"

Hercules raised two fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. A white Pegasus with blue hair and blue-tipped wings flew into the Coliseum and landed next to Hercules.

"Ah, ah, ahh... You can't leave now, okay?" Hades said. "You've got a very important match today, against, um... the bloodthirsty Hydra! I mean, if you don't stick around, who knows what kind of "accidents" might happen."

"Yeah, accidents YOU caused!" Sora said.

"Like I said: details, who needs 'em?"

"You're just a coward!" Hercules cried. Pegasus flapped his wings.

"Ah well. Can't all be heroes." Hades disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Hercules crossed his arms and bowed his head.

"Hercules, don't worry." I said. "We'll go find Meg and bring her back."

"Can you handle this?" Hercules said.

"Yeah. You handle the Hydra. We'll take care of the rest." Sora said.

"I'm counting on you."

Pegasus came over. When its eyes fell on me, it brayed happily, trotted around me a few times, then nuzzled its face against my cheek.

"Whoa! Uh... hello there." I said, nervously petting the top of its head.

"Seems like Pegasus recognizes you as a friend." Hercules said.

"Um..." I gently pushed Pegasus away. "You must be mistaken. I've never met you before."

Pegasus brayed again. He looked at me with big, pleading eyes. A flash of pain.

"Pegasus, you go and find Meg." Hercules said, patting his back.

Pegasus glanced back at me, then at Hercules. He stomped his feet, flapped his wings, and took off.

* * *

><p>When we entered the Underworld, we saw Phil laying on the ground.<p>

"Phil!" Sora called. We ran towards him. He stood up. "What happened?"

"I spotted this strange guy all dressed in black." Phil said. "I chased after him, but he turned on me. Next thing I know, I'm seeing stars."

"All dressed in black?!" Donald said.

"He's the one who stole the Olympus Stone." Sora said. "Where did he run off to?"

"To the Underworld." Phil said. He turned to the door that used to be blocked by the fire barrier, but it was gone now. "He's a bad apple, all right. And all I wanted was to find a backup hero. Just in case Herc needed to take a break."

"You've already got some!" I said, ruffling Sora's spiky head of hair.

"You know someone?!"

"Hello?!" Donald cried as he and Sora struck their battle stances.

"Oh, good one..." They scowled.

"Come on, we've got some Nobodies to deal with." I said, dragging away the frustrated two with Goofy following behind.

* * *

><p>As we ventured deeper into the Underworld, I felt my strength drain away again. I could tell the others experienced the same thing. We walked into a room, where we saw the black-robed man. He turned around and jumped.<p>

"Ah! You!" he cried. He took off his hood. He had dirty blond hair styled in a weird mullet and cyan eyes. _Demyx._ He looked intensely at Sora. "Wait a second... Roxas?"

Sora wore a look of bewilderment. "Excuse me?"

Demyx looked at me. "Callum?"

My blood ran cold.

"Guys? Oh, it's no use..."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Sora said.

Demyx pulled out an index card. "Let's see, here... "If the subjects fail to respond, use aggression to liberate their true disposition"...Riiiight... Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one..."

"You're bizarre..." Sora said, crossing his arms.

"He... he must be trying to psych us out or something." I said.

Demyx pulled out a small, flat, golden object with a lightning bolt marking on it.

"He's gotta be the thief!" Goofy said.

"Now that's just plain rude!" Demyx said.

He lifted the Olympus Stone above him and he was showered in light. He summoned a blue sitar with a strange symbol on it. As he played it, strange water creatures appeared and moved around the room. I summoned Chaos Ripper and we attacked the water creatures. As one changed its shape to a dancing note, I grabbed the tail and swung it around, destroying other water forms. When it was finished, Demyx stumbled back, clutching his shoulder.

"Roxas, Callum, come back to us!"

Demyx disappeared in a swirl of darkness.

"Guy's a broken record." Sora said, slinging his Keyblade onto his shoulder.

"Hey, look!" Donald said.

He walked over to the ground and picked up the Olympus Stone. He came back over and handed it to Sora. Sora lifted the Stone up like Demyx did. We were showered in light and I felt my strength replenish.

"I wonder who that guy was talking about. This... Roxas and Callum?" Sora said. He looked to me. "Do you have any idea?"

"N-no." I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Don't you have something better to do besides pester me with questions?!" I snapped.

Sora flinched. His blue eyes dimmed and I immediately hated myself. I clenched my fist and turned around, walking ahead to the door and ignoring the sting of guilt that settled in my stomach.

"R-right... Let's go. Meg needs our help." Sora said to Donald and Goofy.

* * *

><p>Carved vines covered the stone walls. Torches with flickering white fire stood in a wide circle around the room. In the center of the room was a large rock with a carving of Megara. Behind it was a pillar of swirling darkness.<p>

"This must be where Hades is keeping Meg." Sora said.

We noticed a small keyhole on the rock. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades and pointed them at the keyhole. The rock and the pillar of darkness disappeared, revealing a small curvature in the ground in the center of the room. We stepped in the middle of it and were taken to a bright area with blue walls and a snowy white floor.

"Meg!" I called. A flash of pain.

Meg turned to us and smiled in relief. She was tied up in strange charcoal-gray bonds. She stood next to Hades, who had his arms crossed and a smile on his face. He laughed.

"Now that's what I call a key." Hades said. He clapped his hands together. "Gee, thanks for your help! Now have a nice day."

Hades vanished in a pillar of smoke and fire.

"Sora, Hallie, behind you!" Meg cried.

There was a sinister chuckle behind us. We turned to see a large cat dressed in blue, purple, and red armor.

"Pete!" Donald cried.

"Who's Pete?" I asked.

"He's a mean, old cat that's running around with the Heartless and causing nothing but trouble!" Goofy said.

"Why, thank you!" Pete said. He chuckled again. "What's wrong? Can't fight in the Underworld? Oh, boo, hoo, HOOO!" He laughed.

"Better think again!" Sora cried.

"CHARGE!" We struck our battle stances.

The number of Heartless that appeared eventually became too much.

"There's too many!" Sora said.

"Let's go!" I said. I turned to Meg and sliced off the chains that held her.

Pete stood, ready to attack, until he heard a noise behind him. He turned in time to get a face full of Hook Bats and he tumbled to the ground. Hercules ran past him towards us.

"Sorry I'm late!" Hercules said. He brought two fingers to his mouth and whistled. Pegasus came flying in, landing on Pete and knocking him out as he flew down next to Hercules. He picked up Megara and set her on Pegasus's back. "Get Meg out of here. I'll meet you back at the Coliseum."

"What about you?" Sora said.

"I'm gonna show these guys what happens when they mess with a true hero." Herc said, flexing his biceps.

We nodded. Hercules patted Pegasus and he took off with Megara. We ran past a dazed Pete who was struggling to get up.

"Now, wait a sec!" He cried. He ran after us, but Hercules stood in his way.

* * *

><p>"Sora, Hallie... I can't leave him." Megara said when we were back down at The Lock.<p>

"He'll be okay." Sora said.

"Look, even Herc has his limits. He can't keep winning forever."

"Then we'll go help him." I said. Pegasus lowered his head to me. "Get Megara out of here."

I petted his head. He whinnied and took off.

* * *

><p>"Hmph! This place gives me the creeps." Pete said. "I'll deal with you nitwits next time!"<p>

"I guess the C in cat also stands for Coward." I smirked as Pete ran off.

The room began to rumble. Pebbles fell from the ceiling onto us.

"Let's go!" Donald cried.

* * *

><p>"Could this day get any better?!" Hades laughed. "This time Wonder-breath is going down for good, as well as his bratty Keyblade friends."<p>

The male personage shook his head and leaned against the wall.

"Did your brain fall out of your ears this morning, or are you always this blatantly stupid?" he said casually. "I said leave them to me."

"I don't think so, pretty boy!" Hades said. "It's my Underworld, I do what I want!"

The male chuckled and a smirk could be felt from him. He straightened up as he glowered with darkness.

"Fine, then. Go frolic with the dead souls in the meantime... because you'll soon be spending a lot of time with them."

The male disappeared in a portal of darkness. Hades scowled.

* * *

><p>"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite hero washout. You really blew it this time." a voice said.<p>

We turned to see Hades approach us.

"No one likes a sore loser, Hades." I said.

Hades glared at me.

"Can it, key brat!" Hades said. His flaming blue hair turned red. "Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?! You and your stupid-!"

Hades recognized the look of confusion and fear on my face. His hair turned blue again and he grinned.

"Oohhhh, that's right..." Hades said. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes... you know, Hero-boy, maybe you should go check on the Hydra you neglected to finish off. I hear things are really FALLING APART up there, champ."

Hades glanced at me again, chuckled, then disappeared.

"Hate to run, but I've got another little diversion to attend to." Hercules said.

Hercules ran off.

"Let's go with him." Goofy said. We nodded.

* * *

><p>Hercules fell to his knees. "This can't be..."<p>

We ran forward towards Hercules. Sora stopped as a large piece of rubble crashed down right in front of him. As the dust subsided, the Hydra roared above the destroyed ruins of the Coliseum. Megara, Pegasus, and Phil ran over to Hercules.

"Champ! You're safe!" Phil said.

"I failed..." Hercules said.

"It's not your fault!" Megara said.

"I left everyone unprotected." Hercules pounded his fists into the ground. "Hades was right. I'm just a... a washout."

"Aw, come on, champ! I didn't train you to think like that."

"Wonderboy..."

"Phil's right. This is no time to beat yourself up." Sora said.

"I'm some hero..." Hercules bowed his head.

The Hydra roared.

"Sora, that Hydra's going to do worse if we don't do anything to stop it." I said.

"Right." Sora said.

Megara carried Hercules away to safety. We struck our battle poses.

"Don't suppose you've got room for one more?" Phil said, posing like a kungfu amateur.

"We're in." Meg said. Pegasus stood on his rear feet and posed.

We charged. The Hydra swung his tail against the ground and we jumped out of the way. As it lowered its head, we attacked it. The Hydra plowed its head into the ground. Three Hydra heads popped out.

"Get up on the Hydra's back!" Phil cried.

Sora and I jumped onto its back. Phil hurled a large pot over at us. We jumped in the air and struck it with our Keyblades. It came down and crashed onto the Hydra. The heads fell to the ground, unconscious. As we destroyed all three heads, the Hydra squirmed and lifted its neck up from the ground. Nine more Hydra heads grew.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I cried.

We heard a whinny pierce the air. I looked up to see Pegasus flying down to us. Sora and I looked at each other and nodded. As Pegasus swept down, we jumped onto his back and he took us into the air. He flew us through the tangle of Hydra heads. When one tried to attack us, we slashed at it with our Keyblades. Pegasus dropped us off onto the ground. The Hydra stood there, all of its heads laying there unconscious.

"Ready?" I said.

"Of course!" Sora said.

We ran forward. At the foot of the unconscious Hydra, we zipped forward with our Keyblades and lunged at the Hydra. Up in the air, we had the perfect view of the headless Hydra. Pegasus flew towards us with Megara riding. She reached out and grabbed my hand. I reached out and grabbed Sora's hand. They took us to the ground. We watched the Hydra's body writhe around before it collapsed to the ground. One of its dismembered heads landed in front of us.

"Ew." I said. "And I thought the Underworld was disgusting."

* * *

><p>We gathered around Hercules, who sat on the leftovers of a staircase.<p>

"I let you down. I'm just... no use." Hercules said.

"It's not your fault. Hey, even a god would be exhausted." Meg, who was sitting next to him, said.

"She's right. Give yourself a chance to rest." Sora said.

"Yeah. Don't beat yourself up. So you lost one time, so what? Even though that lost resulted in the destruction of the Coliseum..." I said.

"And HOW is that supposed to be encouraging?" Donald said.

"My point is... you can't let one loss keep you from forgetting your countless wins. And if you do fail at something or make a mistake, don't spend the rest of your life hating yourself, you'll only regret it! Use that loss and let it help you get stronger and better!"

"Wow. That's deep." Sora said. I elbowed him in the side.

Megara stood up and brushed herself off. "Don't worry about Wonderboy here. I'll look after him. Hallie, Sora, Donald, Goofy, I owe you big time."

"Hey, it's no big deal." Sora said. "Just let us know if Hades or the Heartless start acting up. We'll take care of it!"

"Yeah, that's what heroes are for!" Donald cried triumphantly.

"Junior heroes, that is." I smiled.

"Let's save that for another time. We have to hit the road." Sora said.

"Don't be strangers." Megara said.

"Yeah, take care! Stay a little longer next time. We got some serious training to catch up on." Phil said. "Especially you, Hallie. You got potential to be a real hero."

"Um, thanks?" I giggled nervously.

"Hey, what about us?!" Sora said. "Oh, I almost forgot. The Olympus Stone."

Hercules wearily stood up and limped over to Sora. Before he took it, the Stone started to shimmer. Sora and I smiled at each other. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and Sora begin their training with Phil, where Hallie shows that she definitely knows what she's doing. The gang encounters Hades again, where they learn that Megara has been taken into the Underworld! As they enter Hades's territory once more, they also learn that a cloaked man is running around! When they run into them, it turns out to be Demyx from Organization XIII! Hallie and the others fight and defeat the member, but not before Demyx calls Sora and Hallie names that don't belong to them. The gang finds Megara and rescues her from Pete, a dastardly cat and a servant to Maleficent who desires to cause chaos and take over the worlds with the Heartless. Upon returning to Olympus Coliseum, they are shocked to discover the mythical beast, the Hydra, was let loose and destroyed the Coliseum! Sora and Hallie, with the help of Megara, Pegasus, and Phil, defeat the Hydra and seal away the heart of the world. But poor Hercules is left self-conscious and defeated, for he blames himself for leaving the Coliseum unattended and believes he is a washout hero.**

**Why is it Hallie did so well during Phil's training? Why did Pegasus recognize Hallie? Why does Hades seem to know Hallie more personally? Who is Callum, and why did Demyx call Hallie by that name? Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	10. Property Venture

**CHAPTER TEN**

"So this is your castle." Sora said. "Must be nice to be home, huh?"

Donald and Goofy looked around. They seemed troubled.

"Ya know, somethin' just don't feel quite right..." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Donald said, crossing his arms.

"You're back!" a squeaky voice cried.

We turned to see two little chipmunks dressed in yellow aprons with tools scamper over to us.

"Move it! Let's go!" the second chipmunk's voice sounded like a teenage boy going through puberty.

"Queen Minnie needs to see you!" the first chipmunk said.

"The castle's in danger! Hurry! To the library!"

* * *

><p>Heartless littered the courtyard. Every step we took led to an ambush of Soldiers, Shadows, and Minute Bombs. We ran down the Colonnade, fought off a never-ending stream of Shadows. I noticed a giant door in the middle of the hallway protected by a light pink barrier. We entered the library where Queen Minnie was with some Magic Brooms running around.<p>

"Your Majesty! Queen Minnie! We're back!" Donald said, standing at attention and saluting.

Queen Minnie turned around and smiled.

"You're here!" she said.

Goofy saluted. "Your Royal Highness, did ya happen to summon us?"

"Yes."

Sora and I walked next to Donald and Goofy. Sora ruffled their heads.

"Where's the King?" Sora said.

"Sora, show some respect!" I whispered.

Queen Minnie stared at us.

"Excuse him. These are our friends Sora and Hallie." Donald said.

"Oh, yes! The King told me all about you two in his letters." Queen Minnie said. "Sora, he told me that you're a very brave young man." Sora wore a smug smile.

"And Hallie, he told me that you are very, very special." I gave her a flabbergasting look.

"So, do you know where he is?" Sora asked.

Minnie shook her head. We sighed.

"Your Majesty, what are Heartless doing in your castle?" Donald said.

"Oh my... So those are the Heartless." Minnie said.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of 'em!" Sora said.

"I know I can't count on you." Minnie said. "Now, there's something I'd like all of you to come and see. Would you please escort me to the audience chamber?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy saluted while standing at attention.

"Sure." I said, rolling my eyes. Queen Minnie gasped.

"I forgot to warn everyone else in the castle about the danger!" she cried. "We must be sure they're hidden somewhere safe!"

"Okay, we'll go tell them." Sora said.

"The whole castle?!" Donald said.

"We just gotta split up, Donald." Goofy said.

"I'll make sure that everyone knows what's going on." Sora said.

"No, Sora, you'll just get lost!" Donald said.

"Donald, Goofy, you guys go and warn everyone. Sora, you and I will stay with the Queen." I said.

"All righty then." Goofy said. "See ya later!"

Donald and Goofy turned around and ran out.

"Um, the audience chamber, right, ma'am?" Sora said.

"Yes, Sora. Let's be on our way." Minnie said.

* * *

><p>We made our way across the hallway, fighting off Shadows and protecting Minnie. We approached the large door covered in the barrier.<p>

"Just one moment." Minnie said. She turned towards the door and held up her hand. "As soon as the trouble started, I made sure to seal this room."

The pink barrier faded. The large doors didn't open, but a smaller section of the door opened before us.

"Now then... shall we?" Minnie said. We nodded.

We entered the audience chamber, and it was very big and spacious. A red carpet with gold corners ran down from the door all the way to the throne at the end of the room. Giant pillars stood on the sides of the walls. Suddenly, Bolt Towers came down from the ceiling. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades.

Queen Minnie gasped. "Not here, too!"

"We'll take care of them." I said.

We fought the Bolt Towers while slowly moving down the room to the throne. When we arrived, more Bolt Towers approached us.

"Come on, gimme a break!" Sora said.

Queen Minnie approached the throne. She examined it for a moment then touched the bottom of one of the arm rests. The entire throne area moved to the left. As it did, the room was consumed with light. We covered our eyes, and when we opened them, the Heartless were gone.

"Whoa..." Sora and I said.

"The room below is called the 'Hall of the Cornerstone.' Our castle has always been safe from worlds that are evil thanks to the Cornerstone of Light which we keep down there." Queen Minnie said.

"The Cornerstone... of Light?" Sora said.

We followed Minnie down the stairs into the Hall of the Cornerstone. The area was covered with large dark vines with jagged thorns. In the center of the room was a giant glass orb with a shimmering green light in the middle, seated on a white pedestal.

"This is the castle's cherished Cornerstone." Minnie said. "But look. The thorns... They must be the work of someone very evil. I wonder what this could mean..."

We walked beside Minnie. Suddenly, a green fire ignited in front of the Cornerstone and the image of a woman dressed in a long black and purple cloak and a black horned headdress. She had a green tint to her skin and she held a staff with a green orb on the end.

"Maleficent!" Donald cried.

"No way!" Sora said. "She's supposed to be..."

Maleficent turned around and smirked at us.

"Well, well, well. What have we here...? If it isn't the wretched Keyblade holder, and his pitiful lackeys!" Maleficent said. She looked directly at me. "I see you've found yet another Keyblade holder to join you on your 'quest'."

"What?! Now you're gonna deal with me!" Donald cried. He ran towards Maleficent and lunged, but he phased right through her and crashed into the Cornerstone.

"All in good time. I promise you'll be able to partake of my vengeance. But you must be patient." Maleficent said.

"Just what are you doing here, Maleficent!?" Minnie said.

"Ah, Queen Minnie. Radiant, as always." Maleficent bowed. "I'm here on a property venture. I want this castle for my own. However, it's a bit too "bright" for what I have in mind. I suppose I'll just have to fill every room with my personal touch of darkness."

Maleficent turned around and tried to touch the Cornerstone, but she was shocked back by its light. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades and struck our battle stances.

"You'd better stop right now if you know what's good for you!" Minnie said.

"There's no way you're getting this castle! Not on our watch!" I said.

"Ooh, how frightening. Very well, I'll stop..." Maleficent said. "Just as soon as the castle belongs to me!"

Maleficent disappeared in a blaze of green fire. Her maniacal cackle lingered in the room after she left.

"What a hag." Sora mumbled.

"Nothing like this has ever happened before." Minnie said. "I looked through all the records in the library, but I couldn't find a single clue."

"Ohhh! We should go ask somebody who knows lotsa stuff that ain't in any book!" Goofy said.

"Merlin the Wizard!" Donald cried.

"Yes! That's perfect!" Queen Minnie said. "Merlin just might know something about this mess. Let's ask his advice!"

"Let's head back to Hollow Bastion." Sora said.

I huffed a frustrated breath that disrupted the hair on my forehead. It's been a while since I've seen the Hollow Bastion Committee of Crazy.

* * *

><p>"Merlin!" Donald cried when we entered his home.<p>

"Anybody home?" Sora called.

"The castle's in danger!" Goofy called.

There was a poof behind us. We turned to see Merlin.

"What is all that racket?" Merlin said. "Ho-ho! I thought- oh, it's you! It looks like you've learned a bit since the last time I saw you."

"Really?!" Sora said.

Donald cried out. "Wait a minute! Let's talk about the problem! It's Maleficent! She's back!"

"Where? Inside the castle?!" Merlin said.

"There's a whole bunch of Heartless too!" I said.

"Oh, dear..."

Donald rambled on about the problem. There was a poof. We looked around and we were back at Disney Castle.

"Perhaps, I'd better just see for myself." Merlin said. Donald crossed his arms. Merlin examined the Cornerstone. "Mmm-hmm... interesting..."

"What's happening, Merlin?" Minnie said.

"This is not good. In fact, I'm afraid it's quite serious." Merlin said.

He turned around and cleared his throat. He waved his hands in the air. There was a poof and a silver door appeared.

"What's that?" Sora asked.

"My boy, that is a gateway to a special world. Someone in that world is responsible for what's going on in this castle. Of that, I'm certain." Merlin said.

"We knew we could count on you, Merlin!" Goofy said.

Sora approached the door. "Then we should go get him!"

"Wait a moment! The perpetrators must be stopped, of course. But there's something else to do first. Somewhere in that world, there should be another door that's identical to this one. I believe our enemies are utilizing that door. As long as it remains open, the castle will be in grave danger." Merlin said. "Hallie, Sora, listen carefully. You must find that door. And when you do- lock it with your Keyblades."

"Got it." Sora said.

"You can count on us." I said.

"Now, one more thing. You're heading into a very special world." Merlin said. "While you're there, the nature of that world may tempt you to do something dark. You must resist that temptation at all costs!"

We looked at each other, confused.

"What do you mean?" Sora said.

"You'll know soon enough. I have faith in you, my lads and lass!" Merlin said.

"You guys ready?" Sora asked us.

We nodded. Sora opened the door and we stepped inside.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Upon returning to their home world, Donald and Goofy sense something wrong in Disney Castle. They barely take three steps outside before the gang is ambushed by what seems like a never-ending wave of Heartless! They fight their way to the Castle's library, where they meet Queen Minnie and report to her what's happening. While Donald and Goofy go to warn the others in the castle, Sora and Hallie escort Minnie to the Audience Chamber, where it is also overflowing with Heartless despite the protection magic cast over it. Queen Minnie leads everyone into the Hall of the Cornerstone, where the source of the world's light, the Cornerstone, is in danger by Maleficent, who seeks to claim the castle as her own. Hallie and the others race to Hollow Bastion to alert Merlin the Wizard about Disney Castle, and he summons a door that leads to a special world, where someone is unleashing Heartless through there and it's effecting Disney Castle. Merlin and Minnie send the gang into the special world, where Sora and Hallie's mission is to find the other door in that world and lock it away.**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	11. How Could We Refuse?

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

The door jerked side to side. The doors burst open and we all flew out and onto the ground. We propped ourselves up on our arms and looked around.

"Hey, look! There's the Cornerstone of Light!" Goofy said.

"Whoa! What's with your faces?!" I cried.

"That's not very nice, Hallie!" Sora said.

"No, really! Everything looks all weird!" I said. I brought my hands up to my face. My skin and clothes were all black and white. My arms and legs were unnaturally thin.

"What's going on? Everything's black and white." Sora said, examining his hands.

"Hey, this is kinda like... um... uh..." Donald said, who looked the freakiest out of all of us.

"Deja vu?" Goofy said.

"Yeah, that's it!"

"Really? Have you been here before?" Sora said.

Suddenly, a big cat-looking creature ran past us. It was Pete! He stopped and approached us.

"Hey you! Seen any bad guys around here?" Pete said.

We looked at each other, then back at Pete. We pointed at him. He gaped at us.

"Why I oughta..." Pete said, bringing up his fists. We assumed our battle stances. Pete stopped and placed his fists on his hips. "Bah! I don't have time to waste on punks like you. So I guess I'll go easy on ya!"

Pete turned around and ran away towards the Pier.

"Well, there's our villain." Sora said. Donald and Goofy nodded.

"But wait, guys." I said. "Something about Pete seems... different. I mean, he didn't call any Heartless or anything."

"So? Merlin said that there was something running around here causing trouble at Disney Castle. It's Pete!" Sora said.

I shook my head. "Fine. Let's go after him."

* * *

><p>We ran to the Pier. We approached Pete, who stood with his back to us, looking at the stream. He turned around and scowled.<p>

"What's with you squirts? You got some kinda bone to pick with me?" Pete said.

"More than one!" Sora said.

"Them's fighting words!" Pete cried, revving up his fists.

We heard a whistle. Pete looked off in a direction and walked off the pier. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran around and blocked his path.

"Not so fast!" Sora said, summoning Kingdom Key.

I watched Pete. He brought up his fists, ready to swing them.

_This is strange. He should've summoned a bunch of Heartless and run away by now..._

The three boys attacked Pete. Pete's stance made him look intimidating, but when he was actually getting his butt kicked, all he did was run around like a scared little girl and throw poorly aimed punches. He fell back on his butt.

"What's you punks' beef with me anyway?" Pete said. He stared at Sora, Donald, and Goofy intently. "Who are ya? You new around here?"

"Cut the act!" Sora said.

We heard another whistle. Pete stood up. He tried to run, but there was a crack and he fell back again.

"Ooh, ow!" he cried, clutching his head.

"You know, somethin' doesn't seem quite right here." Goofy said. "Are you sure you're Pete?"

"Well, of COURSE I'm Pete. I'm the captain of the steamboat. So stop botherin' me, see?!" Pete said. He groaned again and clutched his head again. "So hit the road! I gotta go find the little runt what stole my boat!"

"Gawrsh, maybe we made a mistake..." Goofy said.

"That's what I've tried to tell you!" I cried, crossing my twig arms. "He didn't call any Heartless, he didn't have any little tricks up his non-existent sleeves, and, come on, just _look_ at him! Yes, this is Pete, but it's not the one we know."

We approached Pete.

"Sorry we attacked ya like that, Capt'n Pete." Goofy said.

Pete looked at us. He jumped to his feet.

"Oh yeah?! Well, if you're really sorry, then go find my steamboat." Pete said.

"Y-yes sir!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>We returned to the Cornerstone.<p>

"I thought for sure Pete was the bad guy." Sora said, placing his hands behind his head.

"Aw, that would be too easy!" Donald said.

"C'mon, fellas. Let's try to find that steamboat." Goofy said.

"I guess we DID say we would..."

"But we also have a door to find." I said.

"Oh, yeah. That, too."

"I don't see any doors." Donald said as he looked around.

"Well, if we actually went searching, we'd probably find it." I said, crossing my arms.

Sora turned his head. "Hey, what's this?"

We turned to see a floating stage window. Donald walked over and opened the curtain. We saw Cornerstone Hill. There were four windows, and we saw Heartless go into each window. They disappeared, and a second afterwards, it showed us being thrown into the world. The images stopped and the curtain closed.

"What was that?" Sora said.

"Heartless goin' out..." Goofy said.

"...and us coming in." Donald said.

"Maybe it was a vision or memory of the past." I said.

"What does it mean?" Sora said.

Donald tried to open the curtain again, but to no avail. We stood around in silence. I looked behind the three and saw the four windows from the memory.

"I have a pretty good guess of what it means." I said, pointing at the windows. "We have to go and stop those Heartless!"

"Then what'll we do?" Goofy said.

"We'll worry about that later!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>The first window we went through took us to a construction site.<p>

"What're they building?" Sora asked.

"Look out!" Goofy cried.

Sora turned around as a Hammer Frame jumped down in front of him. Sora assumed his battle stance, but suddenly, a small mouse swung in from a rope and plowed right through the Hammer Frame.

"The King!" Donald said.

_King Mickey?_

"Gee, he seems kinda different somehow..." Goofy said.

More Hammer Frames hopped down onto the wooden platform.

"Now, let's get those Heartless!" Sora said, summoning his Keyblade.

We attacked and defeated the Hammer Frames without causing too much mayhem on the platform. When we finished, Mickey scurried up to Sora, shook his hand aggressively, and ran off.

"Okay..." Sora said.

"Hey, look!" Goofy said.

Another stage window appeared. Donald opened it. The images showed Maleficent talking to someone. That is, it was more insults than other words. We heard another voice that sounded familiar.

"That didn't make any sense." I said.

"Well, let's focus on getting rid of the Heartless." Sora said.

The second and third windows revealed a mysterious person discovering the other door and showing Maleficent. In the fourth window, we saw Maleficent standing next to the other door.

"Listen well. On the other side of this portal, they're about to begin construction on that wretch castle." Maleficent said. "But until then, their treasured Cornerstone of Light lies unguarded, with all of its powers still contained!"

"The Cornerstone... of Light?" the mysterious voice said.

"Yes! That cursed sphere is the very thing that prevents us from entering the castle."

"Oh."

"You know what must be done?"

"Uh..."

"Go then. Time to prove your worth! And don't dare to fail me again!"

Maleficent turned to leave. We saw a hand reach out, then a shoulder, then the back of a very familiar looking cat head.

"Don't fail her again... let's see..." Two ears perked up. "That's it! I just gotta smash that Cornerstone to smithereens!"

The image panned out to Pete with a sinister grin on his face. He let out an evil laugh. He walked up to the door and opened it.

"But first... I gotta go get my old boat back."

The image faded.

"It was Pete after all!" Sora said.

"Why, he tricked us!" Donald said.

"Still, something doesn't seem right." Goofy said.

Sora crossed his arms. "The Pete we met here had kind of an attitude, but he didn't seem like a bad guy..."

I looked past them and gasped.

"Look!" I cried, pointing. Our Pete turned around, chuckled, and ran down the path to the Waterway.

"That's the Pete we know!" Sora said.

"Oh, no!" Goofy cried.

We ran to the Cornerstone... well, that is, the pedestals where the Cornerstone should be.

"The Cornerstone's gone!" Sora cried.

"They're gonna fill the castle with darkness! We gotta hurry!" Goofy said.

Captain Pete ran by us, holding his side and panting.

"Hey, hold it right there!" Sora said.

"No way, small fry! I finally found the pipsqueak what stole my steamboat!" Pete said.

"Yeah, it was you!" Donald said.

"Right, me!" Pete said. He stopped and shook his head. "No! No! It's wasn't me! It's just somebody who looks like me!"

"Aw, WHICH IS IT?!" Sora groaned, holding his head in his hands.

"Come on, we can't let our Pete get away!" I said.

* * *

><p>We ran to the Waterway, where Captain Pete and Pete were tangled in a fist fight next to a steamboat. The Cornerstone was strapped to the back and trapped in a wooden cage.<p>

"Back off and give me the boat!" Pete cried. He punched Captain Pete and sent him flying. He jumped onto the top of the Cornerstone.

"The Cornerstone!" Donald cried.

We ran to the side of the river as the steamboat cruised into the river and away.

"Later, losers!" Pete cried.

He threw pieces of garbage at us. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades and sent the trash hurtling back into Pete. The steamboat spun out of control and landed next to the riverbank.

"Now's our chance!" I said.

Sora grabbed onto the hook connected to the boat and I hopped onto the cage. We attacked it. Every now and then, the hook would move and threaten to shove us back onto the land, but Sora would fasten himself onto the hook while I held onto the cage. Finally, the cage broke, and Pete fell into the water. He surfaced, sputtering and coughing up water.

"You'll pay for this!" he cried, shaking his fist.

The wooden platform holding the Cornerstone smacked into his head. The steamboat came to a stop. Pete climbed out of the water, glared at the Cornerstone, and took off to the Wharf.

"It's the Cornerstone!" Donald said.

"Donald, Pete's heading for the doorway! We gotta go!" Sora called.

We ran to the Wharf, where the two Petes were fighting again. Pete slammed his fist into Captain Pete's face. Captain Pete fell back onto his back and sat up crying and holding his face.

"Ha! You're still a little wet behind the ears!" Pete taunted.

"Then try us!" Sora said as we ran forward and struck our battle stances.

Captain Pete knocked us out of the way and charged towards Pete. As we fought, periodically Pete ran away and we chased him to different areas: the construction platform, the room with the black hole, and we finally cornered him at the wharf. Pete fell back onto the ground.

"It serves ya right!" Captain Pete said.

Pete stood up, groaning, and turned his back on us. He summoned the second doorway and went through.

"Yeah... Annnd stay out!" Captain Pete said.

"Hallie, the door." Sora said.

"Right." I said.

We ran forward and pointed our Keyblades at the door. A keyhole appeared. Beams of light shot into the keyhole and the door disappeared.

"Would somebody tell me what's been goin' on here? Who was that creep, anyways?" Captain Pete said.

"Hello?! That creep was-" Sora said, but Goofy covered his mouth.

"Sora, that's a secret!" Goofy said.

"Secret? What kinda secret? Oh, never mind." Captain Pete said. "Sorry I put you guys through all that trouble."

"Yeah, well, just don't make a habit out of it!" Donald said.

Sora, Goofy, and I snickered.

"And to show ya my appreciation, I'll let you pilot my steamboat. Best little craft on the river!" Captain Pete said. "My deck hand Mickey's late anyways."

"With an offer like that, how could we refuse?" I said.

* * *

><p>The pipes of the boat let off smoke to the beat of a cowbell. Sora steered the steamboat, bobbing his head to the sounds. Donald jumped up and pulled the cord that hung from the roof and the three horns on top bellowed. I sat on the boat railing next to Sora, swinging my legs back and forth to the ticking. I reached up and played with the charm around my neck.<p>

"That's a cool-looking charm." Sora said. "Where'd you get it?"

I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't know."

"It's weird... I feel like I've seen that symbol before."

"Really? Where?"

Sora shook his head. "I don't remember. Maybe I dreamt it up once when I was a kid. I don't know."

* * *

><p>We placed the Cornerstone back on its proper pedestal.<p>

"I bet the castle's safe, now." Goofy said.

"I guess we should head back." Sora said.

"Wait! As long as we're here..." Donald said.

"Donald!" Sora and Goofy said.

"Remember what Merlin said?" I said.

Donald protested as Sora and Goofy grabbed him and dragged him to the doorway. I opened the door and Sora and Goofy hurled Donald through the door.

* * *

><p>The doorway wiggled around. The doors opened and Donald tumbled out, followed by me, Sora, and Goofy. The dark thorns were gone, and the room returned to light.<p>

I sighed as I looked at my hands. "It's nice to have color and a proportionate body again."

"Welcome back!" Queen Minnie said. Chip, Dale, and Merlin stood beside her. "Because of your bravery, the castle is safe and protected again. Thank you so much for all you've done!"

"Good work, you guys!" Chip and Dale exclaimed.

"Now, I hope you didn't do anything reckless while you were there?" Merlin said.

"Of course not!" Donald said. The rest of us giggled.

From the corner of the door, we saw a female duck wearing a purple dress and a tiara peek in. Donald turned around and smiled.

"Daisy!" Donald said. Donald and Daisy walked to each other.

"Who's Daisy?" Sora said.

"Daisy is Donald's very special sweetheart." Goofy said.

"Really..." Sora put his hands behind his head and I placed mine together behind me.

Donald smiled at Daisy, but Daisy put her hands on her hips and scowled.

"Donald, you forgot about our date again! You'd better have a good excuse this time!" Daisy said.

"But Daisy... I..." Donald said.

"I know it's an important mission, but you could at least check in every once in a while."

Donald looked over at us, but we pretended to be interested in something else.

"Sora!" Donald complained. He glanced at the doorway to Timeless River and snickered mysteriously.

"Donald..." we all said.

"Just be a minute!" Donald said.

He ran for the door, but Daisy grabbed his tail.

"Going somewhere?!" she said.

"Of course not!"

Donald broke away and Daisy chased him around the room while we laughed.

"Oh, look!" Minnie said.

The Cornerstone shimmered and Chaos Ripper appeared in my hands. Sora and I looked at each other and we pointed our Keyblades diagonal to the ground. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed away the keyhole.

Sora crouched down to Daisy's level. "Daisy, we need Donald for just a little longer."

"How much longer?" Daisy said, crossing her arms.

"Um... well..."

"I'll be back soon, Daisy!" Donald said.

"Well..." Daisy said.

"Daisy, I promise that when all of this is over, you and Donald will be together again..." I said.

I sighed and placed a hand over my heart. I looked up and met eyes with Sora. I cleared my throat.

"Um, we should get going." I said.

"Right." Sora said. "Queen Minnie, please tell the King that we're still looking for him."

"I will. Oh, Hallie! I must let you know Mickey has many things to discuss with you." Minnie said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Me? But why? What?"

"I don't know. But it must be very important."

"Okay... thank you."

"Take care!" Queen Minnie said.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and her friends are taken to a very special world, where it takes place long ago to a time before the construction of Disney Castle. They run into the Pete of that time, who seemed to have his grouchy attitude even way back then. Following the clues left to them through strange visions, they find out Pete and Maleficent are behind everything! They find the Pete from their time and drive him out of the world, lock the door he came in, and return to Disney Castle. The Cornerstone of Light is safe again, and Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world. They say their farewells, but not before Queen Minnie tells Hallie that King Mickey has some important things to talk with her about.**

**What does King Mickey have to tell Hallie?**

**~~~~~ SPOILER ALERT! The conversation between Sora and Hallie on Pete's steamboat should give a _big _hint to the origin of Hallie's charm. ~~~~~  
><strong>

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	12. Almost Instantaneously

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

"This place is... kind of different." Sora said, crossing his arms.

The world we were in was dark, as if permanently set to nighttime. We stood on the Rampart and looked over the blackened sea. When we stepped off, we heard a woman's scream. We ran to the side and jumped up onto the wall to look over it.

"Something's up." Sora said.

"Organization XIII?" Goofy said.

"Or the Heartless!" Donald said.

"Or something completely different." I said.

"There's only one way to find out." Sora said.

* * *

><p>We ran down to the outsides of the town and saw Pete talking with a group of pirates.<p>

"Hey!" Sora called. We struck our battle stances.

"See? Those are the punks I was tellin' ya about." Pete said.

"If anyone here is a punk, it's you!" I said.

"It's Sora, Hallie, Donald, and Goofy to you! And don't you forget it!" Sora said.

"That we won't. And we'll engrave it on your tombstone, to be sure." the head pirate said.

"Whoa! I like your style!" Pete said.

"Men- half of you stay here and indulge these cullies. The rest- bring me that medallion!" the head pirate said.

"AYE!" the crew cried.

"So we only have the pleasure of squashing only a few of you?" I said.

The head pirate chuckled. We tried to attack the crew, but our offensive attacks phased through them.

"It's no use! We can't beat them!" Sora said.

"Aye, whaddya expect?" one of the pirates said.

The clouds parted and moonlight bathed the area. We gasped as the pirates changed into skeletons.

"Ya best be sayin' your prayers!" another pirate said.

"Hey, watch out! They can see ya!" Pete said. "Stay away from their magic!"

"Thanks for the tidbit, Pete!" Sora said. Pete gulped.

We attacked again, knocking down all the pirates in their exposed cursed state.

"Hey! This ain't over!" Pete said. He turned around and walked away.

"He's like the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz..." I said.

"The what?" Sora said.

"Nevermind."

"Well, if Pete's here, then we've got work to do."

"Yup. And that pirate captain looked pretty mean, too." Goofy said.

"I'd hate to see him turn into a Heartless." Sora said. "Hey, maybe we can take a pirate ship out for a spin!"

I scowled and smacked Sora in the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he said.

"Because I think that weird pirate curse affected you too." I said, which earned a snicker from Donald and Goofy.

Sora put his hands behind his head. "I was just kidding! Hey, didn't those pirate guys go into the town?"

"Yeah. I think they were looking for treasure." Goofy said.

* * *

><p>"Elizabeth!" a man with combed brown hair and brown eyes cried. He ran up the stairs, only to get surrounded by Heartless. "What are they?"<p>

"It's the Heartless! Watch out!" Donald cried.

We ran in front of the man.

"We'll take care of them. Go, take cover!" Sora said.

The man looked at us for a moment, then turned and ran away to hide. When we finished fighting the Heartless, the man approached us.

"Well done! My own fencing skills are not to be ashamed of... but I've never faced foes such as that before." the man said.

Sora put his hands behind his head and smiled. "You really think we're that good?"

"Were you looking for someone named Elizabeth?" I asked. "Did you find her?"

"I was too late. Barbossa and his pirate crew have taken her. But I must rescue her!" the man said. "Would you help me?"

"Of course!" Sora said. "I'm Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, and Hallie."

"And I'm William Turner, but call me Will."

"Let's go, Will!"

"Right. We've got to head to the docks!"

* * *

><p>When we arrived at the docks, a large pirate ship sailed away into the sea.<p>

"We're too late!" Will said.

"Huh?" Sora said.

"Those pirates kidnapped Miss Swann and took her to their ship." Will said. "Now they've sailed, and I'll never be able to find her!"

"Then she's long gone. The Black Pearl is nigh uncatchable. Best find yourself another girl, mate." a voice said. We turned to see a man dressed in pirate garb with black dreadlocks decorated in beads and jewels. He returned to tending to the ship he was standing in.

"You... What are you doing aboard the Interceptor?" Will said. "She's off limits to civilians."

"Ah, fortunate that I'm going to commandeer her, then." the pirate man said. "She'll make a fine pirate ship."

"A pirate!" Sora said, and I watched a childish grin spread across his face.

"Don't get any ideas, Sora." I said.

The pirate man stood up straight and faced us.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please." he said.

"Take me with you. Help me hunt down the Black Pearl and save Miss Swann." Will said. "I got you out of that jail cell, Sparrow. Do this and your debt's repaid."

"You'll have to win fair lady's heart alone, mate." Jack said. "I see no profit in it for me."

"C'mon, Captain!" Sora said.

"Are you sure you can sail her, all on your own?" Will said.

Jack thought to himself, then jumped up onto the crossing plank. "You've a point there."

We climbed up the crossing plank.

"Thank you, Sparrow." Will said.

"CAPTAIN Sparrow." Jack said.

"I'm Sora. This is Hallie, Donald, and Goofy." Sora said.

"You know, one of these times you should let me do the introductions." I said as we boarded the ship.

"I'm Will Turner." Will said.

"That would be short for William, I imagine." Jack said. "No doubt named for your father, eh?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, Mr. Turner. You get us ready to make way. I've some effects to liberate."

I shuddered at the word 'liberate'.

"Aye-aye! But hurry." Will said.

"Naturally." Jack said. He walked away.

"Sora, do you really want to be a pirate?" Goofy said.

"Of course not!" Sora said. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you make of this Will?" Jack said.

"We just met him like 10 minutes ago..." I said.

"Hmm... I think my luck's about to change." Jack mumbled. He smiled to himself.

* * *

><p>The Interceptor cruised along on the dark sea. We all stood around Jack, who stood at the steering wheel staring at his compass.<p>

"Why are you so fixated on that compass?" Will said.

"It'll be she that leads us to the Isla de Muerta where Barbossa's headed. Savvy?" Jack said.

"All this pirate talk is giving me a headache." I said, rubbing my temples.

"How do you know?" Sora said.

Jack closed his compass and place it in his pocket. "Ah, lad... He and I once had our eyes on a treasure- Aztec gold. 'Twas hidden on the Isla de Muerta. But he turned traitor and stole my ship." he said.

"So, he's after the treasure, then." Will said.

Jack turned to Will and placed a hand on his hip. "Treasure's already his. So's the curse upon it."

"You mean whatever is causing him and his crew to look like the walking dead?" I said.

"Aye, lass. I've no desire for such treacherous spoils." Jack said. "But I will have back what's mine- the Black Pearl."

Jack turned around and returned his focus to the waters in front of him.

* * *

><p>We docked at the Isla de Muerta and gathered on its rocky path.<p>

"You lads and lass wait here." Jack said. "Young Turner and I will rescue the lady."

"Hey! What about us?" Sora said.

"You're to guard the ship, o' course." Jack said. "It's a task given only to the bravest pirates."

"All right..."

"Guard her well!"

Jack and Will turned around and ran down the pathway. We returned to the ship, but the wait made us all grow impatient fairly quick.

"I think he was just trying to fast-talk us..." Sora said.

"And you fell for it the moment he said "pirate"." I said.

"What's keeping those two?" Sora said, crossing his arms and clearly changing the subject.

"They sure are taking their time..." Goofy said.

"Do you think something could be wrong?" I said. "We should go and look for them."

"If Pete's hanging around, there must be Heartless here, too." Sora said. "And Jack and Will aren't used to fighting Heartless."

"There's only one way to find out." I said.

We boarded off of the ship.

* * *

><p>As we ran across the path into Isla de Muerta, Will and Elizabeth, a tall young woman with blond hair, brown eyes, and wearing a long yellow dress, came running up to us.<p>

"Quick! They're after us!" Will said.

"But where's Jack?" I asked.

We heard footsteps. We turned to see pirates running towards us.

"We'll hold them off! Give us a sign when the ship's ready to sail!" Sora said.

"Right! We'll light the signal fire!" Will said.

I summoned Chaos Ripper and struck my battle stance. One pirate aimed a gun at me. I gasped and brought my Keyblade up and deflected the bullet, sending it back to him. Another pirate stood in front of me. He swung his axe at me. I backshuffled, and when he paused, I slashed at him. He disappeared into a pile of dust and moldy gauze. I glanced at the ship and saw smoke rising from it.

"The signal!" I called.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked to the ship and we heard another group of pirates charge at us. We bolted to the ship. We climbed across the plank and onto the ship. I sighed in relief and sat down on the ground.

"Man, that was the longest minute of my life." I said. I leaned back on my hands and looked up at everyone. "So, you didn't answer my question. Where's Jack?"

"Well..." Will said. "He wouldn't let me do anything, so I... knocked him out. I had to. Jack's no fairy-tale pirate. The real ones aren't to be trusted."

"We can't just leave him there." I stood up and crossed my arms. "We should go back and get him."

"First, we have to get Elizabeth back." Donald said.

"Let's head back to Port Royal." Sora said. "I'm sure that Jack can handle himself. He is a pirate after all."

* * *

><p>Elizabeth and Will retreated to the lower deck to discuss some things, so Will left me in charge of steering the ship back to Port Royal. I gripped the wooden handles. Steering was easier than I thought. As I overlooked the sea, I noticed Sora in my peripheral view, looking at the water roll along. A pang of guilt radiated in my chest.<p>

"Hey, Sora?" I said.

Sora's ocean blue eyes landed on me and I gulped. He approached me.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Listen, I, um... I wanted to apologize for what happened back at Olympus Coliseum. You know, after we fought that Organization XIII member." I said.

Sora lowered his eyes. "Oh, right. That. You don't have to do that. I was sticking my nose in business that wasn't mine..."

"It wasn't that. It's just..." I took a deep breath. "I knew who he was talking about."

"You do?"

"I don't know the Roxas he mentioned, but Callum..."

"You don't have to talk about this if you want to."

"No, I want to. I need to get it off my chest." I gripped the steering wheel tightly. "When I was 8 years old, I met someone. A boy, to be more specific, my age, with brown messy hair and amber eyes, and his name was Callum. Where we met, I don't remember, but we seemed to click almost instantaneously. He was my best friend and he had my back when times were frustrating."

I took a deep, shaky breath. "But when I was 12, he disappeared. There was no explanation, no warning. It was like he just vanished into thin air. I'm sure I asked people what happened to him, but they were probably as clueless as me. I had the chilling thought that he had died, but something in my heart told me that he was still out there somewhere."

I found it hard to make eye contact with Sora, so I just stared that the empty waters ahead.

"I woke up in a realm of nothing before I came to Hollow Bastion. I don't know if I was rotting away there for days, weeks, years, whatever. My memory is wiped completely clean. My childhood, my past, it's all gone. But the only person that I still remember is Callum. He's why I agreed to join you, Donald, and Goofy on your adventure. I mean, yes, I do want to save the worlds and help you, but I'm hoping that, somewhere in this adventure, I can find Callum and we can be together again."

Sora remained silent as he thoughtfully studied me.

"He means a lot to you, huh?" Sora said.

"More than anything..." I said. "...I love him."

"Oh." Sora looked away awkwardly. I blushed and cleared my throat.

"Now that I've talked so much about best friends, tell me about yours. You've mentioned someone named Riku a few times." I said.

"Yeah, he's my best friend. I've been looking for him ever since we were separated from our home, Destiny Islands. He's... had some difficulties when it comes to the darkness. I'm looking for him and King Mickey during this adventure. I know I'll find him someday because I believe in myself."

My knuckles turned white from how tightly I gripped the steering wheel. Sora reached out and placed his hand over mine.

"We'll find our friends. Together." Sora said. "I promise."

I looked at his hand and my breath caught in my throat. My grip on the wheel loosened and blood rushed into my hands again. I looked up at Sora. Even in the cloudy darkness, his blue eyes still sparkled. He smiled.

_This boy is so different. So far since traveling around with him, he's been nothing but goofy, annoying, and a bit nosy. But this moment, something felt different. His words had a different tone to them. W__hen he uttered his promise, he spoke with such assurance. He knew that I would be able to find Callum again. Someday. His words calmed my aching soul. Could I ever one day speak and act with the same confidence as him?_

A smile slowly crept onto my face.

_Promise... a seven letter word that holds an infinite amount of hope._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and her friends travel to a world unlike any of the others they've visited: filled with cursed pirates and ferocious Heartless! Port Royal, the town they arrive in, is attacked by pirates cursed by an Aztec treasure. Barbossa, the captain of these blood-thirsty and greedy pirates, is searching for a way to break the curse placed on them. As their solution, they kidnap a woman named Elizabeth Swann. They team up with a man named Will Turner and Captain Jack Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth. Their first attempt resulted in Jack getting captured by Barbossa, and now Hallie and her friends must sail back to the Isla de Muerta to rescue Elizabeth AND Jack. A intimate conversation occurs between Hallie and Sora, where Hallie reveals her true drive of this journey: to find her best friend and love, Callum, who disappeared many years ago for reasons unknown to her.**

**Will Sora be able to keep his promise of finding their friends together? Will Hallie be able to find this mysterious Callum?**

**Stay tuned and thanks for reading!**


	13. Name Your Terms

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Will assumed his place at steering the wheel. As we rode along in silence, the cut of Elizabeth's panicked voice ended it.

"Look!" she cried, pointing out into the sea.

We all ran to the side of the ship and saw a large ship heading straight for us. I recognized the ship: the Black Pearl.

"What now?" Donald said.

"I wonder what Jack would do?" Sora said.

"I'm not sure." Will said. "I suppose... he'd run for it."

"Sounds good to me-" Sora said.

The ship lurched to the side. We jumped away from the edge, but Will tumbled over into the water.

"Will!" Elizabeth cried.

"Everyone hit the deck!" Goofy cried.

We clung to the ship as it rumbled and jerked, like something repeatedly slammed into it. A medallion rolled away from Elizabeth's dress pocket. No one noticed as I looked around. I reached out and quickly snatched it up.

"Maybe Jack would run from this, but not us!" I said, standing up. "We fight back!"

"Right!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said.

As everyone scurried around to prepare, I snuck a peek at the medallion in my hand. I clipped it around my neck hid it underneath my shirt, right below my charm. I ran down with the others and summoned Chaos Ripper. Pirates jumped from the Black Pearl to the Interceptor. It was tricky to fight them while cannonballs were slamming into the side of the ship and causing it to swerve. When the pirates stopped coming, we ran to the cannons and sent a barrage of cannonballs at the other ship. It sunk into the ocean.

"We did it!" Sora cried.

"Well, did you now, laddie?" a voice said. We turned to see Barbossa standing with some of his crew. Elizabeth and Jack stood next to him, tied with rope.

"Jack!" Sora said.

"Elizabeth!" I called.

We looked around to see nasty undead pirates surrounding us.

"Now then, I'll be having back that medallion." Barbossa said.

The boys didn't know I had it. They looked at each other for a moment, then struck their battle stances. Barbossa stepped forward.

"Unless it's more important than their lives?" he said.

"Barbossa!" Will stood on the edge of the ship, gripping one of the ropes. He cocked a gun and pointed it at Barbossa. "She goes free!"

"Go ahead boy- shoot! We can't die!" Barbossa said.

"You can't..." Will lowered the gun. "But I can. My name is Will Turner! My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner! His blood runs in my veins!"

Barbossa flinched in surprise.

"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker!" Will said, hopping down from the edge.

"Name your terms... Mr. Turner." Barbossa said.

"Release Elizabeth... and Sora, and Hallie, and Donald, and Goofy, too!"

"Anything else?"

Behind Barbossa, Jack jumped up and down in an attempt to get Will's attention.

"Leave- now!" Will said. Jack slumped down.

Barbossa bowed. "Agreed. Leave we shall..." Barbossa lifted his head and smiled. "...but the Heartless stay!"

We heard a low and boisterous chuckle. Pete hopped into the boat and knocked Will out. He picked him up and ran over next to Barbossa. Air Pirates floated on the sides of the ship.

"No fair!" Sora said.

The pirate crew grabbed us. They tied us up and threw us into the lower deck.

"Good work, Barbossa!" Pete said. "Who knew it'd be this easy?"

"Barbossa, you coward!" Elizabeth said.

"That's the last time I trust a pirate!" Sora said.

"Says the boy who wanted to become one." I said.

"Captain, we've searched the entire ship! We can't find the medallion!" a crew member called.

Barbossa growled. "They must've hid it back on Isla de Muerta! We sail there!"

"The powder kegs are ready, Captain!"

"Then I bid ye farewell!"

The door closed.

"What are we gonna do?!" Donald cried.

"We'll be blown to smithereens!" Goofy said.

"Why struggle, mate?" Jack said. "A pirate knows when to surrender."

"Are you serious, Jack?" Sora said.

"...Your average pirate, anyway."

The ropes around Jack fell off and he stood, holding a knife. He sheathed it away.

"First, we've got to see to the gunpowder." Jack said. "I'm not about to lose this ship!"

"I still don't plan to trust pirates again." Sora said.

"Wise policy, lad."

Jack cut us free and we climbed up to the deck. There were five powder kegs set around the ship, and Air Pirates and Cannon Guns prepared to light them. One by one, we launched the powder kegs into the ocean while fighting off the Heartless.

"All clear!" Sora said.

Jack ran over to the steering wheel.

"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship." he said. "But I'll be havin' her back soon enough."

* * *

><p>We docked at the Isla de Muerta. As we left the ship, everyone turned to Elizabeth.<p>

"You stay with the ship, lass!" Jack said.

"I'll do no such thing! Will could die in there." Elizabeth protested.

"Dear William is fine. Trust me."

"I am not a fool, Jack."

"Then trust us instead!" Sora said.

Elizabeth turned to us. "Sora, Hallie, Donald, Goofy- bring Will back safely!"

"You can count on us!" I said, giving her a little salute.

* * *

><p>"Where is that blasted medallion, Turner?!" Barbossa said. He held a knife up to his neck.<p>

"I have no idea." Will said, crossing his arms.

Barbossa growled.

"Ahoy, mateys!" Sora called as we ran in.

"Not possible!" Barbossa said.

"Not probable! We're alive and we're pirates!" Donald said.

"Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Sora!"

"Donald!"

"Goofy!"

"And Hallie!" We stepped forward with our weapons as we said our name. "And... I believe you are looking for this!"

I reached up to my neck and snapped the medallion off. Everyone looked at me and the dangling medallion in shock.

"Hallie, YOU have the medallion?!" Sora said.

"Yeah, and it sure fooled this poor excuse of a pirate crew!" I said.

"So you want to play pirate? Best save the playacting for the nursery." Barbossa said. "After them! Get the girl and bring me the medallion!"

I gripped Chaos Ripper. One pirate lunged at me with his sword while another staggered towards me and swung the 50-pound anchor in his hands. I jumped up in the air and the first pirate plunged his sword into the other pirates stomach. He groaned and dissolved into rotted gauze. I came down and landed on the man's sword. I back-flipped, driving my foot into the pirate's chin. His head snapped back with a sickening crack and he staggered away. My hands crackled with electricity.

"Thunder!" I cried, raising my Keyblade to the air.

Bolts of lightning rained down with a deafening BOOM! and electrocuted half of the undead pirate crew. The other half charged towards me.

"Sora!" I threw the medallion over to him. He looked over and caught it with his free hand before slashing at an electrocuted pirate. The crew surged towards him.

"Goofy!" he cried, chucking the medallion to him. We played a game of "Monkey in the Middle" with the medallion, luring the frustrated pirates around the room while the others finished them off. When the last pirate disintegrated into dust, Will ran to us.

"Thank you, Sora and Hallie." he said.

"Uh, where's Jack?" Goofy said.

We heard metal clinking together. Barbossa and Jack were clashed in a sword fight.

"Jack! Get him!" Sora called.

Jack glanced over at us, which was a fatal mistake. Barbossa lunged and plunged his sword into Jack's stomach.

"Jack!" I gasped.

"You're a fool, Jack Sparrow!" Barbossa said.

Jack stumbled back into the light. His skin faded away, his clothes became more moldy and loose on his body. He had turned into one of the undead. He looked at his bony hands. He reached up with one hand and rolled the medallion between his skeletal fingers. I glanced at my friends, who smiled knowingly and shot me three pairs of thumbs up.

Barbossa clenched his fists. "Show yourself, Pete! The tide has changed."

Pete stood at the opposite end of the room. He placed his fists on his hips. "See? I told ya you'd be needin' ol' Pete!" he said.

Pete raised two fingers to his mouth and a sharp whistle escaped his lips. Suction cups slurped around the room, like a group of people scrambled across the stony walls with plungers attached to their feet. An Illuminator appeared in the light. It looked at us and its yellow eyes flashed. It leaped off the walls and crawled next to Barbossa. Its eyes flashed again and the room went dark. Barbossa jumped into the shadows.

"Get that Heartless!" Donald cried.

We found the Illuminator through its glowing yellow eyes. We attacked it and it scrambled away. Light returned to the room.

"Enjoy a piece of this!" Barbossa cried.

He slashed his sword at me, but I jumped in the air and landed on the blade. I saw Barbossa reach down and grab his gun. The scene turned into slow motion as he pulled it out and pointed it at me. I shoved his arm to the side as he pulled the trigger and the bullet hit the ground. I took the butt of my Keyblade and slammed it into his chin. Barbossa staggered back. Jack stood in front of Barbossa, and as he jumped to lunge at him, Sora jumped forward. Jack grabbed his hand, spun him around, and Sora slammed into Barbossa, causing him to fly up into the air. Sora jumped onto Jack's back and jumped into the air. He slammed his Keyblade into Barbossa's chest. Barbossa fell to the ground. We turned to Pete. He began to back away.

"This ain't over!" he cried. He turned around and ran away.

"Right! Care to surrender, Barbossa?" Jack said as Barbossa was standing up. He drew his sword. "Well, enough of this, then..."

Jack threw his sword to the ground and pulled out his gun.

"What say you we call it- a draw?"

"Jack, how many times do I have to tell ya-"

Jack threw the medallion and shot at Barbossa. Barbossa cackled.

"Laugh while you can, Barbossa!" Will cried.

He stood over the treasure chest, a knife in one hand and the medallions hovering over the treasure chest in the other. He opened his hand and the medallion fell into the chest, damp and half red with his blood. As realization caught up with him, Barbossa doubled over and clenched his chest.

"I feel... cold." Barbossa said.

Barbossa fell to the ground.

* * *

><p>We walked along the path back to the ship.<p>

"What now, Jack?" Will said.

"Whatever I want, now that the Pearl is mine again." Jack said.

He looked at the ship and smiled.

"That she is." Will said. "Thank you, Jack."

Will held out his hand and Jack cowered back. Will looked at him confused and Jack slowly straightened.

"I didn't want ye hittin' me again, mate." Jack said.

"Hey, Jack- good luck." Sora said.

"And remember to be good!"

"Don't do anything to get your ship taken away again." I said.

"I'm off." Jack said.

Jack turned around to see Elizabeth running towards us.

"Will!" she cried with her arms wide open.

Jack opened his arms, but Elizabeth ran past him and hugged Will. Jack scowled and walked away. Sora put his hands behind his head.

"Good for them." he said.

"Uh-huh!" Goofy said. He looked at Sora. "Hey, Sora- How come your face is all red?"

"What? It is not red!" Sora said, covering his cheek with his hand.

"Aw, I know who you're thinking about." Donald said.

"Sora, are you telling me that you have a crush on someone?" I said.

"No!" Sora said.

Donald, Goofy, and I laughed while Sora covered his face in embarrassment. Suddenly, Jack stopped and cried out. His compass shimmered. He opened it, and while he examined, it lifted from his hand and floated up into the air. Sora and I looked at each other and nodded. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.

"You know... for a minute there... I was afraid we were gonna lose Donald to the curse of the treasure!" Sora said, putting a hand on his hip.

"Yup! Me, too." Goofy said.

"What?!" Donald squawked.

"Really? Because when those pirates came charging at us, I recall a certain someone quaking in his shoes so badly, he was one "arg" away from running away and screaming like a little girl!" I said.

"Me?!" Sora said. "I-I did NOT do that!"

I giggled. "Don't worry, Sora. It'll be our little secret!" Sora blushed and I doubled over in laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the others are led into a trap set by Barbossa, Pete, and the Heartless, but they escape. They set sail back to the Isla de Muerta, where Barbossa has taken Will to complete their ritual and break their curse. Hallie and her friends interrupt the ceremony, save Will, and defeat Barbossa. Jack has the Black Pearl back in his possession, and Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	14. Be On Your Best Behavior

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

"Agrabah! We made it!" Donald said as we stepped into the bazaar.

"Gawrsh, I wonder how Aladdin 'n' Jasmine are doin'?" Goofy said.

"Friends of yours?" I said.

"Yeah, we helped Aladdin fight against Jafar, this evil sorcerer. Jasmine was one of the Seven Princesses of Heart that Maleficent and Ansem sought to use to unlock Kingdom Hearts." Sora said. "He turned into a genie and we trapped him inside a lamp."

I exhaled a lungful of frustrated air out my nostrils. _Again with this Kingdom Hearts... Whoever this "Maleficent" is doesn't deserve its wisdom..._

I stopped myself.

_Whoa, where did THAT come from? And this Ansem... the name sounds familiar. But from where?_

"Hey, maybe Riku's with them!" Sora said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah, and the King!" Goofy said.

"Keep dreaming, you two." Donald said.

"Come on, Donald, you were thinking the same thing!" Sora said.

"No, I wasn't!"

As we walked, in my peripheral view, I saw Goofy fall behind.

"Uh-uh, it's uh... um..." I heard him say. "It's Iago!"

Sora and Donald whipped around with their weapons.

"A bad guy?" I said, turning around. I raised my eyebrow when I saw a chubby parrot fly towards us. "A bad... bird?"

"Wait! You got me all wrong." Iago said.

"A bad, talking bird?" I said.

"You're Iago all right!" Donald said.

"No! I mean, it's not the old me. I turned over a new feather." Iago said. "I'm legit! No more scams. Promise!"

"Bet that's your new scam." Sora said, crossing his arms.

"Ya gotta believe me!"

"What, was he the boss of a smuggling gang business?" I said, crossing my arms. "What's so bad about a fat bird?"

"HEY!"

"That fat bird was Jafar's sidekick." Sora said.

"Ah..." I nodded.

"Again, HEY!" Iago cried, flapping his wings furiously. "Listen, I was stuck inside that lamp with Jafar. Remember? Well, I finally escaped. But then some things happened and..."

"So. Free as a bird, huh?" Sora said.

"Wow. Bad choice of words." I shook my head.

"Gawrsh, guys. He looks pretty sad." Goofy said.

Iago turned around and flew into Goofy's paws.

"I wanna apologize to Aladdin and Jasmine." Iago said. "Could you guys maybe put in a good word for me?"

"Sure, we can do that, can't we?" Goofy said. He looked to Sora and Donald, who shot glares back at him.

"Watch out!" Iago cried.

Luna Bandits suddenly surrounded us. No matter how many we fought, they rapidly returned and overwhelmed us.

"Ugh, where are they all coming from?!" Sora said.

Some Luna Bandits ran towards Iago. Iago screamed and flew up. Two Luna Bandits bumped into each other. Iago crashed into a vase and a crate. They tipped over and fell on some Bandits.

"This way!" Sora said.

We ran into an empty building with a screaming Iago following behind.

* * *

><p>"Aw, we'd've been goners if Iago hadn't helped us." Goofy said. "Ain't that right, fellas?"<p>

"You know, maybe Iago really has changed." I said.

"Are you _hearing_ yourself?" Sora said. "But... I guess we owe you one, Iago."

"Perfect!" Iago said.

"But you'll have to win over Aladdin and Jasmine yourself. Be on your best behavior, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Where IS Aladdin, anyway?" Goofy said.

"I betcha he's at the palace."

"Then let's go!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>We walked up to the palace courtyard, where there was a woman with light brown skin, long black hair tied back in a fancy low ponytail, and brown eyes.<p>

"Jasmine!" Sora said.

Jasmine turned and saw us. She smiled.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Jasmine said.

"Your Majesty!" Donald said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy bowed gracefully. Jasmine giggled.

"Such gentlemen." I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm Hallie."

"Nice to meet you. I never had the chance to thank you for before, Sora." she said. "You helped Aladdin defeat that awful Jafar and saved Agrabah."

"All in a day's work." Sora said, putting his hands behind his head. "But, uh... it looks like the Heartless are up to no good again. Is there anyway we can help you out?"

"I think we're all right for now."

"And ya always got Aladdin." Goofy said.

"He... hasn't been himself lately." Jasmine said.

"Is it because of the Heartless?" Donald said, whipping out his magic staff.

"I'm not sure. Usually, he's the same cheerful Aladdin. But sometimes... he just seems sad." Jasmine said, pacing the grounds. "He leaves the palace and goes off by himself all the time. I've asked him about it, but he says that nothing's wrong. He's gone again today. What if he doesn't come back this time?"

"Hey! Maybe he's got a secret girlfriend!" Iago cried, popping out from his hiding place behind Goofy's back. "I know! I'll go find out who she is!"

Jasmine gasped and tried to grab Iago. "Iago! Quick, Sora! Catch him! And I'll warn the guards and everyone in the palace!"

Iago flew behind Sora. "That's the thing... Iago's not-!" he called, but Jasmine disappeared behind the palace doors.

Sora sighed and glared at Iago. "Nice move."

"Maybe it's something you said." Goofy said.

"Well, not only did Birdbrain help Jafar kidnap Jasmine before, he just accused her boyfriend of cheating on her." I said, crossing my arms. "Not the best way to prove you've turned over a new leaf."

Iago sighed.

"Gee, maybe we should go talk to Aladdin." Goofy said. "He's gotta be somewhere in town, right?"

"Good idea. I wonder what he's been doing." Sora said.

* * *

><p>As we left the palace grounds back into the bazaar, we saw a small monkey dressed in a vest and fez hat scurry by.<p>

"Stop, thief!" a voice cried.

A young man dressed in white parachute-like pants, a purple vest, and a hat ran by.

"Hi, Sora!" he said as he ran after the monkey.

"Come back here!" a short merchant in robes ran after the man and monkey.

"Found him." Donald said.

We ran after the merchant and young man, where they cornered the monkey.

"If you can't control that fur ball..." the merchant said. "...put a leash on him!"

"Look, I'm sorry..." Aladdin said. He crouched down to the monkey and wagged a scolding finger at him. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Abu."

Aladdin held out his hand and Abu gave him what he had: a black genie lamp.

"Uh, no hard feelings?" Aladdin said, handing the lamp to the merchant.

The merchant snatched it away and walked off.

"Abu!" Aladdin said.

Abu looked over his shoulder and saw us. He chattered and ran over to us.

"Hey, guys. Sorry about earlier." Aladdin said as he approached us. "I was kind of in a hurry."

"What happened?" Sora said.

"You know Abu. He couldn't keep his paws off that lamp." Abu screeched and jumped around. "No talking your way out of this one!"

Sora and Aladdin laughed as Abu jumped around.

"You don't look so upset to me." I said, holding my hands behind my back.

Aladdin looked at me.

"Oh, right. This is Hallie." Sora said. "And she's right. I guess you can't be _that_ down in the dumps when you're running around like this, huh?"

"Who said I was?" Aladdin said.

"Princess Jasmine." Goofy said. "She's worried 'cause you're always in town."

Aladdin shook his head. "I guess there's no foolin' Jasmine, huh? See, Genie and Carpet took off to see the world. It's what Genie always wanted, so I wished him the best and all, but..."

"You miss him." Goofy said.

"Man, things must be _really_ quiet with Genie gone." Sora said, placing his hands behind his head.

"Yeah. That's why I come here. The action- the people. There's always something goin' on." Aladdin said. "I mean, c'mon! I met you guys here today, right? This place is full of surprises."

Goofy turned around.

"Uh, Sora?" he said.

Iago collapsed to the ground in a trembling heap of feathers. His eyes fixated on the path where the peddler left a few moments ago.

"Iago?!" Aladdin said.

"Oh, right..." Sora said. "He wants to apologize for all the trouble he caused."

"Oh, he does?" Aladdin said skeptically.

"Gawrsh, he's so sorry, he's shakin'!" Goofy said.

We watched Iago, but he was silent.

"Um... Iago?" I called.

"Th-th-that lamp!" Iago cried, pointing in the direction the merchant went.

"What about it?" Aladdin said.

Iago flew into Aladdin's face. "It was THE lamp!"

"You mean the one that you guys used to trap Jafar inside?" I said.

"YES!"

"C'mon. There're like a million of them." Aladdin said.

"Hey! I was locked up in that thing FOR MONTHS! There's no way I'd mistake that!"

Abu jumped around in angry protest.

"Then we'd better go back and talk to that peddler." Aladdin said.

"Right behind you." Sora said.

* * *

><p>We found the peddler inside the room where we hid from the Luna Bandits.<p>

"Is there any way that we can buy that lamp from you?" Sora said.

"Of course, that is... IF you can afford it." the peddler said.

Sora turned to the door. Aladdin gestured to him to continue.

"No worries!" Sora said.

"Yeah, we can pay you in royal treasu-" Donald said.

With my hands behind my back, I shot a small thunderbolt at Donald's behind. He yelped and rubbed his feathered rear. He grumbled and glared at me. The merchant still caught on to what Donald wanted to say and raised his eyebrow curiously.

"Might I be able to interest you in another fine lamp?" he said.

"No, that's the one we need." Sora said.

"What he means is that we'd like to buy that particular one." I said quickly.

"Ah, well- perhaps I can be persuaded..." the peddler said. "...IF you bring me a treasure beyond even my imagination. Something, say, fit for a sultan..."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy gulped.

"Like we said, no worries!" I said. "We'll find something that suits your tastes."

"Hallie, what are you doing?" Sora whispered.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

We left the shop.

"Treasure? That could be tricky..." Aladdin said.

"There's lots at the palace." Donald said.

"But it's not mine to take. And I can't ask. I don't want to worry Jasmine or the Sultan."

"Hey, I know..." Iago said, flying up in Aladdin's face. "What about the treasure in the Cave of Wonders?"

Sora and Donald crossed their arms and scowled at Iago.

"All right, Iago. You lead the way!" Aladdin said. "And after we get the treasure, I might even believe your apology."

"You can count on me!" Iago said.

* * *

><p>Outside of Agrabah, in the oasis, we scanned the horizon of the desert before us.<p>

"The Cave of Wonders is right over there!" Iago said.

Among the yellow sand, there was a cloud of black and purple swirling clouds.

"You mean that swirling area of darkness and death?" I said.

"Yeah! I mean, uh, yes, but it's not as bad as it looks!" Iago said.

"It's a dangerous place, but we should be all right if we go together." Aladdin said.

"Okay, then! Let's get going!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and her friends travel to the boiling hot desert of Agrabah, where they run into Iago, a chunky parrot who was once the sidekick of the evil sorcerer Jafar. Iago claims to have turned a new leaf, and he wants to prove it to Princess Jasmine, but things don't turn out so well. Jasmine tells Sora that his friend, Aladdin, has been distant and depressed, so he and the others go to find him. They find him in the markets, where he and a merchant are chasing down his monkey friend, Abu, who stole a lamp from the merchant. Iago claims it to be Jafar's lamp, and they must get some treasure from the Cave of Wonders in order to get it.**

**What is it about the mystical Kingdom Hearts that irks Hallie so much? And why does the name Ansem ring a bell to her?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	15. Another Chance

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

I didn't expect the Cave of Wonders to be a giant sand tiger.

"We're supposed to go IN this thing?" I said.

"Yup." Aladdin said.

Everyone took their turn entering the tiger's sandy mouth. We walked down its stair esophagus and into its purple stomach. There were blocks of different heights laid across the path. At the end were two strange idol statues placed on both sides of a dark path leading down deeper into the Cave. We fought against Shadows, Fortunetellers, and one very obnoxious Fat Bandits. At the end of the cave was a small narrow hallway with reverse waterfalls as walls. When we walked in, there was a pink crystal floating above us. We passed by it and walked up to the golden monkey statue at the end of the room. Below it was an empty pedestal.

We walked back to the crystal. As we examined it, Abu leaped from Aladdin's shoulder and snatched the crystal. The waterfall walls disappeared. The ground rumbled and giant statues lined the walls. Ice shards formed and fell from the sky. Abu screeched and ran around the room.

"We've got to get that crystal over to the pedestal." Aladdin said.

We led Abu through the pathway, instructing him when to go and when to jump over the waves that came at us. Abu placed the crystal into the pedestal. The ground rumbled. A layer of light covered the walls, and the statues went back to being normal and not threatening. The monkey statue at the end of the room disappeared, revealing a door. We climbed down a long flight of stairs to a platform. On the platform was a sign.

"Complete your task within the time allotted." Sora read. "There's a switch here."

"Let's see what it does." I said.

"Wait, Hallie-!"

I flipped the switch. The platform rumbled and when I looked down, we stood momentarily in midair. We screamed as we fell through the air.

"You have two minutes. If all the floors disappear, you will have to start over. Let it begin." a voice said.

A platform came into our view. We landed and Ice Cubes appeared around us. We attacked them and the platform disappeared again. We landed on the next platform, and some Ice Cubes and Fiery Globes appeared. The third platform had a Fat Bandit. It inhaled and shot a fireball at me. I raised Chaos Ripper and the fireball deflected back and hit the Fat Bandit. The fourth platform had another Fat Bandit and some Fiery Globes. The last platform had two Fortunetellers. When we finished, a staircase appeared connecting the platform to a door. We climbed up the stairs and there was another sign.

"Victor of the trial... You possess great strength!" Sora read.

"There's not another switch, is there?" Donald grumbled.

The door opened.

"Judging by the look of things, I'd say we're almost there." Iago said. "I just hope we can get what we want without any trouble."

"Because heaven forbid we run into any trouble while we're down here." I said.

We walked through the door and we stared in awe at the giant heaps of gold piled around the room. Golden monkeys lined the walls, holding pot that trickled gold onto the ground. We walked down the path and saw a giant, beautiful object made of gold and jewels that shimmered.

"There. That one should do it." Aladdin said.

Donald ran up the stairs to the object.

"Oh boy, it's perfect. That guy's gonna like this." Donald said.

"Sure looks valuable." Sora said.

"I feel like I have to pay just to look at it." I said.

"Great! Now let's go get that lamp." Aladdin said. "We gotta keep Jafar bottled up, or he's gonna destroy Agrabah!"

Abu and Iago tried to carry a golden monkey statue that held a ruby egg-shaped jewel. Donald tapped his foot impatiently.

"Stop!" he cried. Abu and Iago let go of the statue and it fell to the ground.

Donald leaned over and stared at the jewel.

"Hey, snap out of it, Donald!" Aladdin said.

Suddenly, the walls went dark. Silver Rocks and Yellow Operas appeared around us.

"Why does this always happen?" Donald complained.

I summoned Chaos Ripper. The Silver Rocks turned into balls of light. I grabbed one with my Keyblade and hurled it at another one. They dissolved away and were replaced by Ice Cubes and Fiery Globes, and three Fat Bandits after those. After the Heartless were all defeated, the room filled with light again.

"Let's go!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>Returning to Agrabah, we went to the room where the peddler should be, but it was empty.<p>

"Hello?" Aladdin called.

"Stop your whining and hand it over!" a muffled voice said.

"Ohh no! I'm trading it for treasure. This lamp is going to bring me riches!" the peddler's voice said, muffled as well.

We left the building and turned to see the peddler running by with Jafar's lamp, with Pete trailing behind. We followed them to the palace courtyard. Pete ran up behind the peddler and grabbed the lamp.

"Thank you." Pete said, running past him.

The peddler ran up next to him. "It's mine!" He snatched the lamp away again.

We watched the peddler and Pete chase each other around the courtyard.

"Lamp hog!" Pete said.

"Go away!" the peddler called.

"Gotcha!"

Pete grabbed the lamp and planted his hand on the peddler's head to keep him away.

"No fair!" the peddler said.

"Heh heh, I win!" Pete said.

Iago flew over and grabbed the lamp.

"Nice one, Iago!" Sora said.

"Way to go!" Aladdin said.

"Don't drop it!" Donald said.

"Look! Behind you!" Goofy said.

Iago turned a corner at the wall and the peddler and Pete crashed into it. Iago looked behind him and accidentally crashed into the wall. The lamp fell out of his hands and onto the ground. Pete picked it up.

Pete chuckled. "Nice try, bird brain! Just wait till Jafar's free! He's gonna make one beauty of a Heartless."

We ran forward a few steps, but stopped when the ground began to rumble. There was a twinkle in the sky and a large blue Genie flew down and around in the sky. He had a black goatee, beady eyes, and golden cuffs on his wrists.

"I'm HOME!" he cried. "Al! It's been eons!"

Genie flew over and wrapped Pete into a hug.

"Al, you princely little muffin, you! Cosmic travel can get so lonely without a friend. To think I let you forlorn and Genie-less... Oh, the HUMANITY!"

"Genie-?" Aladdin said, but Genie didn't notice him.

"Hey, Al, you've been puttin' on weight? Aw, of course, what am I saying? You're living at the palace now. I can just picture it... Wait, tell me. Am I being a pest? Just a big blue pest? Aw, who cares, Al! I'm just so glad to SEE you!"

As Genie spoke, he was inadvertently beating up Pete, making strange gestures including heart shaped fireworks and enlarging his head when he cried, and popping up in different spots of the courtyard. He finished by taking Pete's hands and shaking him.

"Genie!" Aladdin said.

Genie looked between Aladdin and Pete.

"Oops." he said, letting Pete go. He fell to the ground.

"I'll teach you to make a fool out of me!" Pete said, shaking his fist.

"Al!" Genie laughed, picking up Aladdin and hugging him.

"This is the weirdest reunion I've ever seen." I said.

Pete stood up and grunted.

"Time for Plan B! I'm finishin' you mugs off right now!" he cried.

He raised his fist up into the air and slammed it into the ground. A cart in the corner exploded as a geyser of water shot into the air. Once the geyser dissipated, a Blizzard Lord stood there. The bushes in the courtyard spontaneously combusted and from the flames emerged a Volcanic Lord. I summoned Chaos Ripper and Sora summoned Kingdom Key. The Volcanic Lord flopped onto its stomach and bounced over to Sora, leaving flaming areas where his stomach touched the ground. Sora lifted his Keyblade above him so the Volcanic Lord landed on it. He spun around and released the Heartless in my direction. I jumped into the air and brought my Keyblade down, slashing through the Volcanic Lord and forcing it into the wall.

"Blizzard!" I cried.

I pointed my Keyblade at the Volcanic Lord and shards of ice shot out from the tip and pierced into the Heartless. The Volcanic Lord shriveled up and exploded.

"One down, one to go." Sora said.

The Blizzard Lord came right up to me and inhaled, ready to unleash his frozen breath on me. I jumped up and covered his mouth right before he exhaled. Its body began to expand, and when it was big enough, I let go and jumped away next to Sora and Donald as it flew back into the wall.

"Fire!" the three of us cried.

Balls of fire ignited from our Keyblades and staff and slammed into the Blizzard Lord. It began to writhe around in the air. It shimmered and a giant heart emerged from its body and floated up into the air. The Blizzard Lord disappeared with a flash of light.

"You! You've messed with me for the last time!" Pete cried. He turned around and ran away. "I'm gonna get you yet!"

"After all the running away that he does, I'm surprised he's that big." I said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy chuckled.

Genie laughed and picked Aladdin up in the air. A flying carpet flew around us with Abu riding on top. Iago followed them with Jafar's lamp.

* * *

><p>Deep in the palace's dungeon, we placed Jafar's lamp in a stone coffin. Sora and Aladdin pushed a heavy stone slab over the coffin, closing it off.<p>

* * *

><p>"I promise- you won't regret givin' me another chance. Honest!" Iago said to Princess Jasmine after we came back to the palace courtyard.<p>

"Uhhhh... Princess Jasmine, you sure you want that pigeon in the coop?" Genie said.

"Oh, I think Iago's shown that he means well." Jasmine said.

"Aw, sure. You're probably right."

"And how much trouble can one noisy bird cause?" Sora said.

"You just might have a point there, kid."

"What happens next, Sora?" Jasmine said.

"Well, it was great seeing you all... but we've got some friends to find." Sora said. "I guess we'll be moving on."

"I hope you find 'em." Genie said.

"Me, too."

Donald looked around. "Hey, where's Aladdin?"

"He ran off toward town, looking for Abu." Jasmine said. "But he should be back by now."

"Al can't miss Sora's big farewell party!" Genie said. "I'll have him back in a jiffy!"

Genie disappeared in a twister of pink, shimmery magic.

"ABU!" a voice cried.

We turned to see Abu running up the courtyard pathway with a ruby egg-shaped gem. Aladdin was running after him.

"Catch him!" he cried.

Abu stopped as Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped forward and landed on him in one big dork pile. Abu screeched.

I sighed and crossed my arms. "I will never understand boys." Jasmine giggled beside me.

"He must've secretly stolen it from the Cave of Wonders." Aladdin said, gesturing to the gem.

"Abu!" Donald cried, snatching the gem away from him. He gazed at the gem in his hands with strange expressions on his face.

"I guess some things are just hard to resist." Goofy said.

Donald shook his head violently. "Aw, who needs it!" Donald chucked the gem, but when we looked, it was no where. Abu screeched and jumped around and pointed at the gem, which Donald held behind his back.

"Oh... I guess it got stuck!" Donald said, laughing nervously.

Suddenly, the gem shimmered. We all squawked in surprise. Sora and I looked at each other and we summoned our Keyblades. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.

"Sora... What is it?" Aladdin said.

"I think it's time for us to go."

Jasmine stepped beside Aladdin and held his arm.

"Will you be back?" she said.

"We will. I promise." Sora said.

Aladdin gave Sora a thumbs up. He smiled and looked up to the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and her friends venture into the Cave of Wonders. After going through challenges and fighting off Heartless, they find the Treasure Room buried deep within. However, upon their arrival, they are ambushed again by Heartless. They return to Agrabah to get Jafar's lamp, but they witness a fight between Pete and the merchant for the lamp. Aladdin's friend, Genie, returns, and after incidentally shaking up the villain, Pete unleashes the Blizzard and Volcanic Lord. They defeat the Heartless, send Pete running, and seal away Jafar's lamp. Aladdin and Jasmine are finally convinced of Iago's change and they accept him with extreme caution. Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world, promising the friends their anticipated return.**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	16. Split Down the Middle

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

As soon as we entered this world, I knew things were going to be weird. I looked at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who dressed as fictional horror creatures: Sora as a vampire, Donald as a mummy, and Goofy as a Frankenstein. I looked down at my clothes. I was split down the middle, my right side in all white clothing and my left side in all black clothing. I wore a one-sleeve shirt that wrapped around my body like gauze. My right arm had a bell bottom sleeve and my left arm had no sleeve at all. When it came to my pants, my right leg wore white lace shorts and my leg wore black tattered capri pants that came down to my knee. My right foot had a white ballet slipper with ribbon curling up to and tied around my shin and my left foot had a studded black combat boot.

"Whoa, Hallie." Sora said. "Since when did you have two different colored eyes?"

"Huh?" I said.

I walked over to a puddle nearby and leaned over it. My eyes and hair sported a "split down the middle" style as well: my right eye remained in its normal color, amber, but my left eye's color was blood red. My hair's part shifted to the middle of my scalp. The right side of my hair was my regular brown color, but the left side of my hair was blond. A pair of wings were attached to my back. My right wing was white and strong with luscious and beautiful feathers, but my left one was black and shriveled up with rotting black feathers that I didn't want to touch for fear of them crumpling in my hands. I concluded that I was a half-light, half-dark angel.

I stood up and turned to the three boys.

"That's new." I said.

We walked up to a scarecrow that hung next to some tombs. Above it was a sign that read "Halloween Town".

"That explains the clothing." Sora said, resting his chin on the back of his hand.

"Well, it sure does look like Hallowee... Wha?" Donald said.

We looked towards the town. Orange lights blinked against the stone walls. Suddenly, a ghost-dog with a handkerchief-like body, long ears, and a glowing pumpkin nose flew around us.

"Hey, it's Zero!" Sora said. "How've you been, boy?"

Zero flew into town.

* * *

><p>When we entered the town, we scanned the plaza, but there was no one around. In the center of the plaza was a wooden ramp.<p>

"What's that for?" Sora said.

The sound of tingling bells filled the air.

"It's Jack!" Donald cried.

We looked up in the air to see a sleigh made of a giant metal trashcan and a green coffin being pulled by three skeletal reindeer. In the sleigh was a very tall skeleton wearing a black suit with white stripes and a coat-tail. The sleigh rumbled down the ramp and came to a stop. Jack stood up and waved to us.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy!" he said. "Welcome back, and Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas?" Sora said. "Don't you mean "Happy Halloween"?"

"Of course. Halloween greetings from Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King." Jack made a scary face. "Forgive me. I'm in a Christmas mood. You see, I'm running the show again this year- but I need Sandy Claws' blessing, so I'm off to Christmas Town."

The four of us huddle together in a circle.

"Sandy Claws?" Sora said.

"I think he means Santa Claus." Goofy said.

Jack jumped onto the edge of the fountain.

"Aren't these decorations wonderful?" he said. "This year Halloween Town's going to handle Christmas too!"

"I don't think "Sandy Claws" is going to appreciate you doing his job without his permission." I said, crossing my arms.

"That's why I'm going to Christmas Town to get his permission! But first! We need to visit Sally. She's working on something no self-respecting Santa Claus can do without. Come along- I'll show you!"

Jack turned around and headed for a laboratory.

"That skeleton is just a few seeds short of a pumpkin..." I said.

"A Halloween Town Christmas..." Sora said.

We looked at each other, then at the decorations. The guillotine's blade shined, a wooden duck bore its razor-sharp teeth, and the skeleton reindeer stared at us with their empty eye sockets and laughed. Donald and Goofy shivered in fear.

"This I've gotta see!" I said.

"Let's go check it out!" Sora said.

Donald and Goofy sighed.

"Come on, hurry!" Jack called.

* * *

><p>Inside the laboratory, there was a small man in a wheelchair studying a book bigger than a Large Body and three children standing and talking around a piece of a robot. A large bookshelf rested against the wall filled with books and reached all the way to the ceiling. A strange machine laid on a metal table.<p>

The man opened the top hatch of his head and scratched his brain. I tried my best not to vomit.

"Hello, doctor! Where's Sally?" Jack said.

"Can't you see that I'm in the middle of an experiment?" the doctor said, closing his head.

The doctor turned his wheelchair and rolled over to the metal table. The three children walked over, carrying the other piece. A rag doll woman with long, yarn red hair entered the room. She wore concerned look on her face and she brought her hands together in front of her chest.

"Hey, this is way too heavy!" one boy dressed like a devil said.

"Then let's toss it!" a girl dressed like a witch said.

"You do and you'll be sorry! Now bring it over here." the doctor said.

"Heave-ho!"

The three children threw the robot piece into the air. It landed on the table and began sparking. We cried out as the piece exploded. The rag doll woman sighed. The three children laughed, momentarily taking off their masks.

"Imbeciles!" the doctor cried, slamming his hands on the table. "Now my experiment is ruined!"

The children ran past the woman and out of the laboratory. Jack approached her.

"Sally! Did you finish it?" he said. "I want to show my good friends."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I... I need a little bit more time." Sally said, bowing her head.

"Oh." Jack put his hands on his hips for a moment, then place a bony hand on Sally's shoulder. "Well, that's all right. Just as long as it's ready for Christmas!"

"But... Jack..." Jack patted Sally's shoulder and walked past her.

"I'd best be off. I've got to go get Sandy Claws, right away!" Jack said. "Wonderful to see you again. Good-bye for now!"

Jack waved and left.

"Go get Santa Claus...?" Sora said. He rest his hand on the back of his chin and looked at the ground thoughtfully.

"Please, Sora. I'm afraid something terrible will happen if Jack does through with this." Sally said.

"You can say that again!" Donald said.

"Sora?" Goofy said.

Sora looked at the ceiling with a dreamy smile. I waved my hand in front of his face, but he didn't respond until Jack entered the room again.

"Are those strange-looking fellows in the town square with you?" he asked.

"Strange-looking fellows?" I said.

"You know, the ones who wanted to spoil Halloween AND Christmas?" Jack said. "What are they called again... Heartless?"

"They're definitely not with us. But Hallie, Donald, Goofy, and I can get rid of them for you." Sora said. "And then we can go see Santa!"

Donald tapped his foot and I loudly cleared my throat. Sora looked at us.

"But first, the Heartless!" he said quickly.

"Right." I said.

We turned to leave the laboratory.

"Hallie?" I heard Sally say. I turned to her. She sat in a chair a sewed together an outfit of red and white. Her eyes focused solely on the fabric, like it captured every drop of her attention.

"Yes?" I said.

"First Jack wants to become Sandy Claws... and now the Heartless are appearing. I have a bad feeling about all of this. I just hope nothing terrible happens..." Sally said. Her nimble fingers pulled the needle and thread through the fabric. She stopped and looked up at me. "Will you watch over Jack for me? Please?"

"Of course." I said. "I get that you want to make sure Jack doesn't get hurt. Don't worry, you've got Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I with him in this. But most importantly, he's got you."

Sally gave me a small smile.

"Hallie!" I heard Sora call.

"Gotta go. You can count on me!" I said.

* * *

><p>We ran out of the laboratory to the Town Plaza, where Wight Knight Heartless stood around the fountain in a wide circle. Zero flew around them and a very short man with two faces and a tall, narrow black top hat was holding a megaphone.<p>

"Now hear this, you... you things! Leave Halloween Town at once... by order of the mayor!" the man said through his pale, depressed face. "Jack? Where are you? I'm only an elected official- I can't handle this by myself!"

Jack approached the mayor.

"Jack!" the mayor cried.

"We're on it!" Sora said summoning his Keyblade.

We charged. As I struck down a Wight Knight Heartless, another one jumped behind me and sliced my back with its claws. I gasped and grit my teeth. I whirled around and slashed at the Wight Knight, destroying it. Shadows emerged from the ground and surrounded me. One rammed into my back and sunk its claws into my skin. I screamed and suddenly the Shadow burst into flames. It withered away into dark dust. I collapsed to the ground.

"Hallie!" I heard a voice call.

There was a flash of light. Magic blue shards shot through the air and pierced through the Shadows, destroying them all one by one. I looked up to see Sora gliding along the ground. Blue shimmering sparks sputtered from his feet and clothes. Where his pumpkin mask should be was now a mask of a black mage. He glided over to me.

"Are you okay?" he said.

"Well, I'm on the ground. And I'm groaning in pain." I said. "What do you think?"

Sora raised his Keyblade above me and a green shower of Cure rained down on me. I shuddered in relief as I felt my wounds close and heal. My strength came back to me in a rush. Sora helped me up by taking one of my hands and placing his other on the small of my back for balance.

"Thank you." I said.

"You're welcome." Sora said.

I heard a locking sound and realized we were in this position for much longer than needed. The heat of his hand resting against my back matched the heat that swelled in my cheeks. I stepped away and cleared my throat.

"How is Sandy Claws supposed to relax with all this going on?" Jack said. "That's it, fellows! Sandy Claws needs bodyguards. Are you up to the task?"

"Us-?" Donald said.

"Yeah!" Sora cried.

Donald turned to Sora and tapped his foot with his hands placed on his hips.

* * *

><p>Jack lead us out of the town past the Graveyard into the Hinterlands. There were a few trees with strange drawings carved into them. One had a heart carved into it and another one had an Easter egg, but Jack led us to the tree decorated with a Christmas tree.<p>

"Here it is! The door to Christmas Town." Jack said. He began pacing. "The spooks of Halloween can get so tiresome year after year. I wanted something new. And I found this!"

We glanced at Sora as he leaned closer and examined the door.

"Beyond this door is a world filled with wonders..." Jack said. "the likes of which you've never seen! At first I couldn't believe my eyes. Everything was so fresh and exciting!"

"Come on! Just open it!" Sora cried.

Jack opened the door. Sora didn't hesitate as he ran forward and jumped through the door. Donald and Goofy ran over and looked over the edge.

"Out of my way!" I cried.

I shoved past Donald and Goofy and dove through the door. Donald and Goofy looked at each other then jumped in after us. We all fell through a gray and white swirl. Blue snowflakes whisked past us and below us there was a light.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Receiving an unusual makeover, Hallie and her friends arrive in Halloween Town, where things are a bit more on the festive side. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, desires to handle both Halloween **_**and **_**Christmas, and plans to go to Christmas Town and ask for Santa Claus' permission. Sora and Hallie eagerly comply and the gang sets off to Christmas Town.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	17. Footsteps in the Snow

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

"Whoa!" I cried.

I flew out of the door. All I saw was snow, but what I landed on didn't feel like it. Or what landed on me. Another dork pile formed, me on top of Sora and Donald and Goofy on top of me. Sora shook us off and got up on his hands and knees. I noticed now Sora dressed like Santa, Donald a snowman, and Goofy a reindeer. I glanced down, only to see that I looked the same.

"Cooool!" Sora said.

I heard Donald squawk in awe. I sat up and followed their gaze. Past the giant mounds of snow, a pathway led to a brightly lit town. I saw a tall Christmas tree glistening alongside the town.

"So where's Santa?" Donald said.

"In his workshop." Jack said, pointing at Christmas Town. "Shall we?"

Sora, Donald and I scrambled to our feet and followed Jack. Goofy paused to sigh and scratch his head.

* * *

><p>Christmas Town's plaza was empty and silent. Up close, we could see the trees and buildings decorated with multicolored lights. A broken carousel rested in the center of the town. Suddenly, Heartless appeared in front of us.<p>

"Here, too?!" Sora cried.

"En garde, loyal bodyguards!" Jack said.

I looked around the area as I summoned my Keyblade. My eyes shifted to the carousel.

"Hmm..." I said.

I ran over to the carousel. Some Driller Moles lunged at me with their whirring mouths.

"Thunder!" I cried, raising my Keyblade.

A bolt of thunder came down and struck the carousel. It spun around rapidly, creating a vortex that sucked in the Driller Moles and destroyed them.

"That works." I said. "If all these Heartless are wreaking havoc on Christmas Town, Santa could be in danger."

"Gawrsh, we can't let anything bad happen to Christmas!" Goofy said.

"That's where Sandy Claws lives." Jack said, pointing to the large red brick building.

We ran inside and dodged a flurry of elves that hurried past us, each only reaching up to our knees (and that was with their hats). One by one, they filed into the workshop. Sneaking a peek inside, I caught glimpses of more elves working giant toy-making machines. Seated in his festive chair, Santa Claus overlooked his Naughty and Nice lists. The fireplace beside him roared with fiery warmth. Sora, Donald, and Goofy gaped at Santa in childish delight.

"Well, hello everyone." Santa Claus said. "Did you come to see if you're on the "nice" list?"

We smiled and approached him. Sora stepped up.

"And what is your name?" Santa said.

"Um, Sora, sir." Sora said.

Santa looked through his list.

"Let's see... Sora..." Santa said. "Here you are."

He glanced up at Sora, who bounced on his feet anxiously.

"Well, according to my list, Sora, seven years ago you told everyone you did not believe in Santa Claus..." Santa said. He stoked his long white beard. "Oh, that is unfortunate."

Sora cried out and pressed his hands against his head in disbelief.

"How about Donald and Goofy?" Donald said.

Santa looked at his list, smiled, and nodded.

"Oh boy!" Donald cried, jumping in the air.

"What about me?" I said. "My name is Hallie."

Santa looked through his list and a perplexed look formed on his face.

"This is very unusual..." Santa said. "You are not on my nice list or naughty list, Hallie."

"Huh?" I said.

"At least that's better..." Sora said, hanging his head. I put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Am I on your list too, by any chance?" Jack said. "It's me, Jack!"

"Jack Skellington?!" Santa said.

The sound of glass dropping and shattering on the floor radiated from the workshop. Santa dropped his list and stood up.

"What sort of trouble did you bring this time?" Santa said, walking over to the door.

"This time?" Sora said.

"It's a long story!" Jack said quickly.

We ran down to the workshop. It was quiet as we all looked around.

"Who's there?!" Santa called.

"Busted!" we heard three little voiced cry.

We saw the three children from the laboratory. The chubby kid threw a chain at the window, causing it to shatter. One by one, they all jumped out of the window.

"It's Lock, Shock, and Barrel!" Jack said.

"Not those three..." Santa said.

"I assure you, they're not with us."

"Well, whatever the case, they've been quite naughty. Catch them and bring them back here. They're going to get a lecture."

"Uh... Mr. Claws?" Jack said. "I wanted to talk to you about Christmas first-"

"It'll have to wait." Santa said. "I need to see how things are progressing in my workshop."

Santa Claus walked past us and away.

"C'mon, Jack- let's catch those little pranksters." Sora said.

"Oh, all right, then." Jack said.

* * *

><p>When we walked out of the workshop, we could see trails of footsteps in the snow.<p>

"Think it's from the kids?" I said.

"I'm certain." Jack said. "Let's go get them!"

* * *

><p>We followed the footsteps to Halloween Town. The footsteps lead to Curly Hill, where we found Lock, Shock, and Barrel.<p>

"There they are!" Sora said.

"But what is THAT?" I said.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel jumped into the air and into the cage connecting to the Prison Keeper Heartless that loomed over them. It shut the cage and waved its fingers.

"Stop them!" Shock cried.

"Tie 'em down!" Lock said.

"Get 'em!" Barrel chimed.

* * *

><p>"Ah ha ha!" Barrel laughed as the Prison Keeper shriveled away in a blast of dark fire.<p>

"That was fun!" Lock said.

"Let's go see if Mr. Oogie's ready!" Shock said.

The three children scurried away.

"Oogie?!" Jack said.

"Isn't he the one who tried to take over Halloween Town before?" Sora said. "You know, that big bag of bugs?"

"That's him. Fellows, I hope you're ready for trouble..." Jack said.

"Don't we have enough trouble already?" Goofy said.

"Have you met us?" I said. "No matter where we go, it always finds us."

* * *

><p>As we returned to the Graveyard, Sally came running over to us.<p>

"What's wrong, Sally?" Jack said.

"Jack! Oogie's kidnapped Santa Claus!" Sally said.

"Oh, no!" we all cried.

"And he's headed for Christmas Town!"

"C'mon, Jack- let's hurry!" Sora said.

"And who knows? Maybe if you rescue him, you'll be on his nice list again." I said.

"What are we standing around for?!" Sora said. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Arriving at Yuletide Hill, we could see smoke rising from Santa's workshop.<p>

"That's Santa's house!" Donald said.

"Let's hurry!" I said.

We ran down to the workshop and into the toy factory. With our weapons ready, we looked around the factory. A maniacal cackle filled the room. We turned around to see a giant, alive sack with holes for his empty mouth and eyes. He jumped down and shoved Sally over.

"Jack Skellington!" the sack said.

"Oogie!" Jack said.

Oogie chuckled. "You and I have a score to settle, Jack! Same goes for your little sidekicks!"

"What are you planning to do with Sandy Claws?"

"Who? Sandy Claws? I don't know what you're talking about!"

Oogie jumped down to Santa Claus, resting on a conveyor belt, tied up, and muffled.

"And why is this roly-poly red guy here? Time to go, grandpa!"

Oogie picked up Santa Claus and led him to the conveyor hole. He cackled as he walked, when suddenly a leg dropped in front of them.

"Eh?" Oogie said, examining the leg.

Santa Claus wriggled away from Oogie and hopped off of the conveyor belt.

"Mr. Santa Claus!" Sally waved. Santa scurried over to her.

Oogie growled and ran after them, but Jack, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I blocked his way.

"Going somewhere?" I said.

"Why, you..." Oogie growled.

He ran onto the conveyor belt and into the middle of the three holes at the end of the room. He appeared in a glass box hanging above us. He pressed a button on the console in front of him. Spikes appeared at the end of the conveyor belts, pink barriers appeared around the belt, and the belts began to move backward into the spike walls.

"Stop!" Donald cried.

He ran forward into the middle hole, which glowed blue. He ran through and the left hole glowed blue as well. Donald came out of the left hole.

"Huh?!" he cried.

He ran back through the right hole and came out the middle hole.

"Not again?" he said.

"I got an idea. Follow my lead!" I said.

Purple and black gift bags came out of the hole onto the conveyor belt. Sora and I used our Keyblades to strike them up and at the glass box Oogie was in until the glass box broke. Oogie came tumbling out of the box and onto the conveyor belt. We attacked him. When he regained consciousness, he hopped back into the hole and into his glass box. It moved to the left belt. The four of us jumped into the hole when it glowed blue and came back out on the left side. We repeated this process until the barriers and spikes disappeared, and the belts stopped moving. Oogie had a hole in his leg and bugs were falling out. He panicked and covered the hole and sighed. He laughed, until his other leg began leaking as well. Both sides of him spilled bugs rapidly. He cried out in agony as he deflated until he was only a limp, empty sack on the ground. A bug scurried towards us, but Donald crushed it underneath his webbed, Christmas stocking foot. We sighed in relief.

* * *

><p>"All right, Christmas is safe again!" Sora said.<p>

"Perfect! I'd better get down to business!" Jack said.

"Leave that to Santa!" Donald said.

"Yup, you oughta stick to Halloween and spooky stuff!" Goofy said.

"Jack?" Sally came out of the workshop with a pile of fabric in her arms. She handed it to Jack. "Here, it's done."

"Wonderful!" Jack cried. "Why, I love it! Thank you, Sally."

"Jack... Do you really have to do this?"

"But I make a splendid Sandy Claws!"

Santa came out of the workshop. "Listen here, Jack Skellington. You saved me, and Christmas as well. And for that, I'm very grateful. But please promise you won't cause any more trouble!"

Jack turned around, donning a Santa Claus suit.

"And about that suit!" Santa said. "Don't even think about taking over for me again!"

"I just thought you could use a little help this year, Mr. Claws. You must be exhausted from all the preparations. And- I wouldn't mind a second chance to get this Christmas thing right."

Santa sighed. "Yes, being Santa Claus can be tiring. But let me tell you something, Jack. Seeing the happy faces of little children when they discover the presents I've brought them makes it all worthwhile, year after year after year. And you, Jack- you love to make them gasp and see them shiver with fright. What if someone tried to take all of that away from you?"

Jack looked at the ground and scratched his cheek.

"We both have very important jobs to do, Jack." Santa continued. "Mine is to take care of Christmas, and yours is to take care of Halloween. So we each have to do the very best we can. After all, you're the face of Halloween- Mr. Jack Skellington! The Pumpkin King! The Knight of Nightmares! And even though you're fascinated with Christmas, Jack... Halloween is your true specialty. Don't you see? Children rely on both of us to do our jobs. Halloween needs your attention... and I know Christmas needs mine- urgently."

"You're right!" Jack said. "I am the master of terror! And if Halloween has become too routine, all I have to do is think of something new that'll really make them scream!"

"I think he's back." I said.

"Jack! Oh, Jack!" the mayor came running up to us. "I've been looking for you everywhere! We must go over the plans for next Halloween! I can't do a thing without your approval!"

"So true." Jack said.

Jack and the mayor walked away to the path back to Yuletide Hill.

"Good luck, Jack Skellington." Santa said.

"Well, there he goes." Sora said, putting his hands behind his head.

"Yes, and I've got lots of names to check and preparations to finish!" Santa said.

Suddenly, Jack stopped as he started shimmering.

"Jack, this is no time for joking!" the mayor said.

"What's this?" Jack said. "Perhaps a bit too festive for our Halloween needs."

"And this..." I said, summoning Chaos Ripper. "is our true specialty."

"Right!" Sora said, summoning Kingdom Key.

We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.

"We'd better get going." Sora said.

"Before you do, Sora... I believe there's a friend of yours... who- if I recall correctly- was the one who told you there's no such thing as Santa Claus?" Santa said.

"Oh yeah... He did say that." Sora said.

"Be sure to give him my very best wishes."

"I will, but... Do you know where I can find Riku?"

"No... but don't give up! Remember, if you believe in Riku, you will find him. Just as you found me."

"Right!" Sora said.

Santa looked at me. "The same goes for you, Hallie."

"Huh?" I said.

I realized what he meant. A small smile crept onto my face. I looked at Sora. He smiled at me and nodded. My grin grew. I looked back at Santa and bowed.

"Thank you, Santa." I said. "Also, do you have any idea why I'm not on either of your lists?"

Santa stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I haven't a clue. But if I do, I'll let you know."

"Right. Thanks."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The gang witnesses the true manifestation of Christmas Town, as well as more clothing makeovers. They meet Santa Claus, and immediately things head into trouble. The mischievous three, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, are found in the workshop. They chase the kids to Halloween Town, where they battle and defeat the Prison Keeper and learn from the children that Oogie Boogie, a big, evil bag of bugs and Jack's nemesis, is back and up to no good. They meet up with Sally, who tells them Santa Claus has been kidnapped by Oogie, so they return to Christmas Town to save him and defeat Oogie. Santa helps Jack come to his senses and his obsession over Christmas is livened again in Halloween. Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world, as well as receive promises from Santa Claus that they will find their friends.**

**But mystery still hangs in the festive town. Why is Hallie found in neither of Santa's lists? Maybe when they return, Santa will have found the answer.**

**But until then, stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	18. Just What the Kingdom Needs

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

"Hey! Check us out!" Sora said.

I did a 360 as I examined myself. I was no longer a human, but a lion cub: blond fur covered my body, leaving my underbelly and the tip of my tail tinted red. The brown cords remained curled around my right arm, extending a few inches up to my elbow. My brown hair came down into a short bob and hung over my shoulders. Sora's maintained his spiky brown hair, slightly brighter and richer than the brown fur that covered his body. His crown necklace hung over his chest. Donald hovered above us as a tropical bird, with white plumage and blue-tipped wings and tail, matching his hat that he retained on his head. Goofy waddled around as a tortoise: his back adorned with a yellow and white shell, his underbelly was a pale green, and the hat on his head was green instead of orange.

"And I thought the Halloween Town styles were weird." I said. "Where are we?"

We looked around the area we were in. Strange pools of green liquid boiled and steamed against the walls. Jagged protrusions of rock jutted out of the ground and several small platforms lined the walls of the rocky gorge. I kicked a pebble and the noise resonated like an Indiana Jones boulder.

"This place is kind creepy." Sora said.

Three hyenas approached us, a female with two males walking alongside her. The male on the left cackled and ended with a snort. They circled around us as more hyenas appeared on the platforms.

"Heartless?" Sora said.

"I dunno, Sora. I get the feelin' they might live here." Goofy said.

"I still don't think they're here to welcome us." I said.

"Don't mind us! Just passing through. We won't be any trouble." Donald said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Sora said.

"Don't be silly. We'd love you to stick around for lunch." the female of the three hyenas said.

"Um... we didn't bring anything to eat." Sora said.

"That's not gonna be a problem!" one of the male hyenas chuckled.

"Sora, look around you!" I said. "WE'RE what's for lunch!"

The crazy hyena laughed again. In a panic, we split up. Sora and I ran alongside each other, but the concept of running on four legs instead of two is still new to us. We stumbled forward and flipped over on our backs.

"Going somewhere?" the male hyena said in our upside-down view.

More hyenas cornered Donald and Goofy. The male hyena opened his mouth and I closed my eyes. As he was about to take a bite out of my face, a lion's roar echoed through the gorge.

"Man, that Scar's got the worst timing." the male hyena grumbled.

"Just let him roar." the female hyena said.

"Nah, we better go see what he wants. Sounds like he's grumpy enough."

The cackle of hyenas scurried out of the gorge.

"I don't know what that was about, but I'm glad it's over!" Sora said.

"For a moment there, I thought we were toast!" I said.

Donald and Goofy sighed in relief.

"Everything's harder on four legs..." Sora said.

"Better start practicing!" Donald said.

"Yeah. With those hyenas running around, we don't want to stumble right into their canines." I said.

"I found a trick to it. Here, lemme show ya!" Goofy said.

* * *

><p>After getting the hang of walking on all fours, we left the gorge into a giant graveyard. A lioness sprinted across the plain, pausing to turn around and utter a threatening growl before scurrying away from two Living Bones.<p>

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sora said.

"Heartless?!" Donald said.

"What do we do?" Goofy said.

"We've gotta help her!" I said.

We ran over and stood in front of the lioness, crouching low in a ready pounce.

"Stay back!" Sora said to her.

We summoned our Keyblades. Sora fit Kingdom Key into his mouth and I wrapped my tail around the handle of Chaos Ripper. One Living Bone barreled towards me. I jumped up on its back and rode around on it. I grabbed the fur on its collar with my teeth and yanked it up so it flipped around. I jumped off as it crashed down to the ground headfirst into the other Living Bone. They both dissolved into dark dust.

"Definitely Heartless." Sora said.

"Thank you. You really saved me." the lioness said.

"We're just glad you're okay." Goofy said.

"Are there any more of those Heartless around here?" I said.

"Heartless... Is that what they're called? I'm not sure if there are any others..." the lioness said. "I don't usually hunt outside the Pride Lands."

"Pride Lands?" Donald said.

"Hey, do you know if a guy named Riku is there?" Sora said. "Or some black guys in hoods? Or maybe this really big bully named Pete?"

The lioness shook her head. Sora sighed.

"Oh well, we might as well go take a look, anyway." Sora said.

"Wait- the Pride Lands are dangerous." the lioness said. "Scar and the hyenas have made it unbearable for everyone. There's no food left. They've driven off the prey. We're about to starve!"

"We can handle a little danger. You just saw us beat those Heartless, didn't you?" Sora said.

"We've been doing this for a while now. We can handle it!" I said.

"I guess you're right..." the lioness said. "You could be just what the kingdom needs. Maybe you can help us."

"Ya mean take on this Scar guy and all those hyenas?" Goofy said.

"Who's Scar?" Donald said.

"He took over when our last king, Mufasa, died." the lioness said.

"So, you're saying this guy's your king..." Sora said, piecing together the hints. He widened his eyes. "You want us to take down your king?!"

The lioness nodded.

"Wait just a minute."

The four of us huddled together.

"We can't just go around knocking kings off their thrones..." Sora said, his voice low and quiet. His blue eyes lit up mischievously. "Then again, if they see that I'm stronger than their king, maybe they'll ask me to be their next king!"

"Sora..." Goofy said.

Sora chuckled. "I'd have to refuse, of course. Still, I'd like to see the Pride Lands, so you guys don't mind lending 'em a paw, do you?"

Sora scampered over to the lioness and spoke with her again.

"Uh-oh, there he goes again..." Donald said.

I sighed. "If we end up as animal stew for those hyenas, I'm blaming him."

The lioness nodded at Sora and ran off.

"She's gonna go on ahead and tell the other lionesses." Sora said. "We're supposed to meet her at a place called Pride Rock."

* * *

><p>As we arrived at Pride Rock, we passed by a group of sleeping lionesses. The lioness from before, Nala, approached us with a baboon at her side carrying a stick with a strange fruit attached to it.<p>

"That's him." Nala said.

The baboon walked up to Sora and stared at him.

"Uh... what?" Sora said, backing away.

The baboon looked at each of us. The sleeping lionesses woke and watched what took place. The baboon returned to Nala and whispered something to her. She looked at him shocked and she bowed her head in disappointment. The lionesses went back to sleep.

"What is it?" Sora said.

"I told Rafiki you might be able to help us force Scar and the hyenas out of the Pride Lands. But he says it won't work." Nala said. "You see, whoever saves the Pride Lands will be our next king... and he has to have the right qualities."

"Meaning..." Sora said.

"I think she means you're not cut out for the job, Sora." Goofy said.

Sora sighed and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry you came all this way." Nala said.

"Hey, no- it's okay." Sora said.

Nala walked closer to us.

"You'd better go before Scar finds out you're here." Nala said, talking quietly. "I'm really sorry."

As we turned around to leave, the three hyenas from the gorge approached us. Three more stood behind us. We assumed our crouched battle stances.

"Hey- a snack." the male hyena, Banzai, said.

"Snack? Nah, we got us a three course meal." the female hyena, Shenzi, said.

"What do you guys want?" I said.

The other male hyena, Ed, cackled. A lion roared behind us.

"Look at that, here comes Scar- the king." Banzai said, finishing with a sarcastic chuckle.

A lion with amber brown fur and a dark maroon mane sneered at us. A black lion with an unfitting face stood next to him.

"And Pete!" Sora said.

Scar leaped down from the rocks and approached us. Pete attempted to jump down, but he tripped and stumbled down the rocks. Sora shook his head.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning." I said.

"My back..." Pete groaned.

"What are you doing here?!" Sora said.

"Aww, the cute li'l kitties's worried about me." Pete said. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about my friends!"

We turned around to see Donald and Goofy surrounded by hyenas.

"Sora! Hallie!" Donald cried.

"We're surrounded!" Goofy said.

"Go on, ladies- you've got some hunting to do." Scar said.

"The herds have moved on, Scar. We can't hunt in a land with no prey!" Nala countered.

"No prey? Then what do you call this?"

"We're not prey!" Sora said.

"Oh. Nice and fresh, too."

"Just let us go!" I said.

"Well, they're all yours, Scar." Pete said.

Pete ran off. Scar readied himself to pounce at us, but Nala lunged and tackled him to the ground. Sora gasped.

"Nala!" I cried.

"Run!" she called.

We nodded, turned around, and ran away with the hyenas behind us.

"Follow me!" Nala said as she ran past us.

* * *

><p>We stopped and caught our breath outside of Pride Rock.<p>

"I'm sorry I got you involved in this." Nala said.

"It's no big deal." Sora said.

"Thanks for getting us out of that, though." I said.

"Aw, it's not your fault. Sora wouldn't be a good king." Donald said.

"Hey! I had to give it a try, right?" Sora said. I snickered into my paw.

"So you DID want to be king!" Goofy said.

"First he wanted to be a pirate, and now a king." I said. "There's no stopping you."

"Well... you know..." Sora said. "Nala, isn't there anybody else who could be king?"

"There was... but he died... when he was just a cub." Nala said. "We was the son of our last king, Mufasa... If only Simba were here..."

"Simba?! But Simba's just fine!" Sora said. "He was fighting right beside us not that long ago."

"You mean Simba's alive?! But where is he?" Nala said.

"That... I don't know."

"Still... Simba's alive! I can't believe it... Please- tell me more about him."

"Of course!"

"But first, we should get away from Scar. We'll go through Wildebeest Valley." Nala said, pointing her head in the direction. "He won't follow us there."

* * *

><p>As soon as we arrived at the Wildebeest Valley, a huge chasm greeted us. Sora stared down the chasm with a nervous look on his face.<p>

"Whoa..." he whimpered.

Nala scooted back away from the chasm. She sprinted forward and jumped over the chasm onto the other side. Sora continued looking down the chasm.

"What's wrong?" Nala said.

"We're never gonna make it!" Sora said.

Nala sighed, smiled, and shook her head.

"I guess Rafiki was right." I heard her whisper.

"What?" Sora called.

"Never mind. It's not important. Here, I'll show you how. You can do it!"

One by one, we all leaped across the chasm to the other side.

* * *

><p>"So, why did you think Simba was dead?" I asked.<p>

"When Simba's father, King Mufasa, died, we were told that Simba died alongside him." Nala said.

"Who told you that?" Sora said.

Nala stopped and bowed her head. "Scar."

We heard footsteps. We looked behind us and saw the baboon, Rafiki, walking up a rock slope.

"It is time." Rafiki said. He pointed his staff ahead.

"It must be Simba!" Nala cried. "Sora, Hallie, hurry!"

"Wait up!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>We found Simba in an oasis: a big lion with a red, luscious mane, dark yellow fur, and brown eyes. He crouched on a log and with Aerial Knocks surrounding him. One slowly approached him. Simba let out a roar and the Heartless disappeared.<p>

"Simba!" Sora called.

We ran over to him. Simba scowled and crouched down.

"I-it's me- Sora! Donald and Goofy are here, too. This is our friend, Hallie." Sora said.

Simba approached Sora, Donald, and Goofy. He stared at them for a moment. A smile grew on his face.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Simba cried.

He jumped forward and tackled Sora to the ground. Donald, Goofy, and I laughed.

"What happened to you?" Simba said.

Suddenly, two screams echoed from the forest.

"Help, Simba! Heeelp!" a voice cracked.

"She's gonna eat us!" a lower voice screamed.

"Timon? Pumbaa?!" Simba said. "Something must have happened in the jungle! I have to go help my friends!"

"Okay, we'll back you up." Sora said.

* * *

><p>Simba ran forward and tackled Nala to the ground before she could pounce on a meerkat and boar cowering against a log.<p>

"Simba! Wait!" Sora cried.

They roared and smacked at each other with their claws.

"Stop!" Donald cried.

"It's Nala! Don't you recognize her?" Sora said.

Nala tackled Simba to the ground and bared her teeth.

"Nala?" Simba said.

Nala stopped and backed away. She looked at Simba curiously.

"It's me, Simba!" Simba said.

She examined him, then a big smile grew on her face.

"Simba!" she said. The two butted heads playfully and circled around each other. "You're alive!"

"Hey, what's goin' on, here?" the meerkat, Timon said.

Timon and Pumbaa slowly turned around as we walked up behind them. They screamed and hid behind Simba.

"Don't worry. They're all friends of mine." Simba said.

"So that means... nobody's planning to eat anybody else for lunch, right?" Timon said.

"Are you sure they don't wanna eat me like I'm some kinda pig?!" Pumbaa said.

"We won't... but you are a pig, right?" Sora said.

"Call me Mr. Pig!" Pumbaa cried, and laughter rippled through us.

Simba lowered his head to Timon's level. "Could you guys excuse us for a few minutes?" he said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Timon said.

Simba and Nala walked together back to the oasis.

* * *

><p>During the time we waited, Timon and Pumbaa taught Sora, Donald, and Goofy about their life motto: Hakuna Matata. I have no idea what it meant, but the three boys got a kick out of it. They formed a congo line and danced into the oasis.<p>

"Hakuna!" Timon said.

"Matata!" everyone else answered.

"Hakuna!"

"Matata!"

I walked behind them, shaking my head and sighing. Nala passed us with a brooding look.

"He's not the Simba I remember." she said. "Something about hakuna matata..."

We watched her walk back into the forest.

"Uh oh." I said, turning to Timon and Pumbaa. "What did you do?"

Timon and Pumbaa shrugged and refused to meet my gaze. When we approached Simba, he turned around and left the oasis.

* * *

><p>"You can all come out now." Simba said.<p>

We emerged from the bushes. Night had fallen and the cicadas were chirping. The stars sparkled.

"I'm going back to face my past. I could use your help." Simba said.

"He really is a king..." Timon said.

The sun rose over the horizon, casting rays of hope over our faces.

* * *

><p>As we walked across the Savannah, Simba stood on a protruded rock and gasped at the sight of his dying home, Pride Rock.<p>

"Wait a minute. We're gonna fight your uncle for THIS?" Timon said.

Simba looked over his shoulder at us, then back at Pride Rock.

"Yes, Timon. This is my home." Simba said.

* * *

><p>Scar gasped and backed away.<p>

"Simba! You're... alive!" he said.

"This kingdom doesn't belong to you." Simba said.

"Simba's the rightful king." Nala said.

"The choice is yours, Scar. Either step down or fight."

"Must this all end in violence?" Scar said. "I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member, Simba..."

"I've put the past behind me!" Simba bared his teeth.

"But what about your faithful subjects? Have they?"

"Simba, what's he talking about?" Nala said.

"Go on. Tell them who's responsible for Mufasa's death!" Scar said.

Simba bowed his head. "I am."

Nala gasped.

"He admits it! Murderer!" Scar said, backing Simba up to the tip of Pride Rock. "If it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive. Do you deny it?"

"No, but it was an accident!" Simba said.

"You're in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn't here to save you. And now everyone knows why!"

"I don't believe Simba killed his father one bit." I growled, baring my canines.

Simba slipped over the edge and was dangling from it. Scar leaned over and whispered something to Simba. He gasped and leaped over the edge and tackled Scar to the ground.

"Murderer!" Simba cried. "Tell them the truth!"

"All right. All right! I did it." Scar said.

"Louder!"

"I... killed... Mufasa!"

Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed came scurrying over and tackled Simba. Scar ran away into the cave.

"Simba! You get Scar! We'll handle these guys!" Sora said. A pool of hyenas circled him.

"Sora!" I called.

Timon and Pumbaa came barreling through, knocking around hyenas left and right.

"'Scuse me! Pardon me! Comin' through!" Timon said.

The hyenas all glared at Timon and Pumbaa and chased them into the cave.

"We've got to help them!" I said.

"Right!" Sora said, summoning his Keyblade.

The hyenas sprinted around the room as they chased after Timon and Pumbaa. One by one we took out the hyenas. They retreated out from the cave.

"Scar and Simba are up at the top!" Pumbaa said. "This is the grand finale. Go cheer Simba on!"

"We'll do more than that." I said, gripping Chaos Ripper tighter.

We ran up to the top. Scar and Simba were circling each other. Simba panted; he looked exhausted.

"Simba!" Donald cried. He tried to fly over to him, but Sora held his paw up to stop him.

Simba jumped up and slashed his claws at Scar. Scar recovered and shoved his back. Simba looked up from his back and saw Scar lunge over, claws ready. Simba picked up his feet into Scar's abdomen and sent him over the edge.

"You're okay!" Sora said.

"You really did it!" I said.

"Aw, that was just a sneak preview!" We turned around to see Pete walking up to the top. "'Cause this ain't over- not by a long shot!"

"What are you yammering on about?" I said.

Pete pointed his paw to something behind us. We looked over and jumped when we saw a claw reach up and grab the edge of the cliff.

"Anger and jealousy turned the king of Pride Rock into a Heartless!" Pete said. "Oh, your kingdom's gonna rise again... but this time, as the Pride Lands of Darkness!"

Scar leaped onto the rock platform and glowered with darkness. The four of us assumed our battle stances. Simba stepped in front of us.

"That's what you think!" Simba said.

I summoned Chaos Ripper and Sora summoned Kingdom Key. Scar leaped over and tackled me to the ground. As we rolled around, we came to a stop and Scar raised his claws. I took the chance to extract mine and swipe at his face. I pulled away and slashed at him with my Keyblade. Simba and Sora stood together and pounded their paws against the ground, causing giant dirt geysers to rise up. They attacked Scar in a blinding fury of tumbles, Simba vertically and Sora horizontally. A ring of yellow light appeared around them as they stood together again. They threw their heads back and released a menacing roar from their mouths. Columns of light erupted from the ground.

Scar slowly approached us. We stood ready. As Scar limped towards us, he glowed a light purple. He fell to the ground.

* * *

><p>We watched Simba as he made his climb to the tip of Pride Rock. He paused to look up at the sky before he uttered a roar. The lionesses responded. He let out another roar and a portal of light appeared in the sky that lit up the area.<p>

"Is that it?" I said.

Our Keyblades appeared.

"I think so." Sora said.

We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.

"Hey! What's with the light show?" Timon said.

"We have to say goodbye for a little while." Sora said.

"I'll go tell Simba." Pumbaa said.

"Aw, he's prob'ly busy. Just tell him we'll be back soon." Goofy said.

"Oh, that's right- he's king now." Timon said. "He's gonna be so busy he'll prob'ly forget all about his two best buddies."

"Of course he won't! He knows you'll always be there for him no matter what!" I said.

"And besides, you've always got hakuna matata, right?" Sora said.

"Guess so..." Pumbaa said.

"Whaddya mean, "Guess so"?!" Timon said. "What if he forgets to tell the carnivores who we are? One look at you, and you're a pig roast."

"That's MISTER Pig Roast." Donald said.

"Same thing! And I'm not sticking around to be anybody's pork dinner!" Pumbaa said, running away.

"Pumbaa!" Timon ran after Pumbaa.

"You can never forget your true buddies." Sora said.

I looked at the ground. "Never." I said.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**From one transformation to another, Hallie and her friends arrive in the Pride Lands, where they've all changed into savannah animals. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by Shenzai, Banzai, and Ed, as well as the entire hyena herd, who saw them as their afternoon snack. After getting the hang of walking on all fours, they rescue and meet a lioness named Nala, who tells them about the travesty the land is going through because of their king, Scar. After an encounter with him and Pete, they are saved by Nala, who tells them the story of times before Scar. She tells them the real king, Mufasa, and his son, Simba, died long ago, but in fact, Simba is still very much alive, for he once fought with Sora, Donald, and Goofy long ago. Nala and Sora are reunited with Simba, and they travel back to Pride Rock to overthrow Scar. Sora, Hallie, and Simba defeat Scar and save the Pride Lands, as well as seal the heart of the world.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	19. The Boy at the Plaza

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

"Hey, look! Twilight Town!" Chip called.

"Yup! I can see it again! It's back!" Dale said.

"What's Twilight Town?" I asked.

"That's the town that we first woke up in. For a while now, it was swallowed up in darkness. We have some friends there." Sora said. "We should go visit them."

* * *

><p>We arrived at Twilight Town plaza. A little, three-foot tall black mage ran past us.<p>

"H-Help! The sandlot! It's Seifer!" he cried. "Somebody please help us!"

"Sounds like we've got trouble." Sora said.

* * *

><p>We ran to the sandlot, where three people laid on the ground. Dusks jumped around them.<p>

"Nobodies?" I said.

"We'll take it from here!" Sora said.

I summoned Chaos Ripper and Sora summoned Kingdom Key. As the Dusks came towards us, I stepped to the side to confuse them before I slashed at them. Berserkers appeared. I ran up behind them and shoved them away from their hammer sword. I grabbed the handle and rage filled my body. I slammed the sword into one Berserker, who flew back and crashed into its friend. A third swung its weapon, but I raised my stolen hammer sword and blocked it. With a grunt, I pushed it back as my sword expired and disappeared, summoned Chaos Ripper back to my side, and jump-slashed my enemy to oblivion.

When silence came, we heard a single pair of hands clapping. We turned to see a man in a black coat. Darkness shrouded his face.

"Impressive." a voice said. "By the way, have you seen a man named Axel? I expect he's here somewhere."

"Like I care." Sora snapped.

We struck our battle stances.

"You see, Axel's no longer acting in our best interest." the Organization member said.

"Is he with the Organization, too?" Goofy said.

"Yes."

"You havin' a fight?" Donald said.

"Not a very organized Organization..." Sora said.

The man pointed at us.

"Don't let your guard down." he said. "Axel will stop at nothing to turn you into a Heartless."

"Oh, and the rest of you aren't doing the same?" I said.

"Gee, thanks for looking out for us, mister, but I'm sure we can take care of ourselves just fine." Sora said.

"Glad to hear it." the man said. "Axel aside, it would break our hearts to hear something happened to you."

"Hearts?" Donald said. "You don't have any hearts!"

The man lifted his hood and removed it. He had long blue hair, amber eyes, pointy ears, and a scar across his glabella in the shape of an X.

_Saix. _I paused._ Do I know him from somewhere? No, not possible. Why would I hang out with Nobodies? But still, he looks familiar..._

"True, we don't have hearts." Saix said. "But we remember what it was like. That's what makes us special."

"Special?" I laughed. "You're nothing but a mere shell!"

Saix looked at me and something flashed in his eyes. He smirked. A portal of darkness opened up behind him.

"We know very well how to injure a heart." Saix said. "Sora, Hallie, you just keep on fighting those Heartless."

"Let's jump in after him!" Sora whispered.

"What? Are you crazy?" I said.

"Maybe he'll lead us to the Organization's world."

"You... have a point. Maybe we should..."

"Don't be reckless. Do you want to end up like Riku and Callum?" Saix said.

"What?!" Sora and I cried.

Saix bowed and stepped back into the portal.

"Hey, wait!" Sora cried.

The portal disappeared.

"What did he mean, end up like Riku?" Sora said. He looked to me. I stared at the ground.

"Hey, how 'bout you get out of my town now? You've cause enough trouble." a rough voice said.

The three people that we saved, two guys and a girl, stood there, trying to size us up.

"Riku..." Sora said.

"Like we'd want to stay here anyway!" I said.

"Have it your way! C'mon, guys." Donald said.

"Hold it!" the middle male said, who I guessed to be Seifer.

"Make up your mind!"

Seifer held out a trophy. "This goes to the strongest guy in Twilight Town."

Sora pointed at himself and smiled.

"Thanks, but... we don't really need it." he said.

Seifer walked over and shoved the trophy into Goofy's hands. They walked away.

"Oh! Sora!" a heavy-set boy with brown eyes and black hair wearing a red jersey and blue pants ran up to us.

"Um... Pence, right?" Sora said.

"Do you know a girl named Kairi?" Pence said.

A flash of pain erupted in my brain.

_I thought I was done with those!_

"K...Kairi?! I sure do!" Sora cried.

"Then you better come to the station!" Pence said.

A big smile appeared on Sora's face. I raised my eyebrow.

* * *

><p>Donald, Goofy, and I tried our best to catch up with Sora as he sprinted through Twilight Town with Pence. We ran up to the station.<p>

"Okay, time out!" I said, leaning over to catch my breath. "Who's this Kairi?"

"She's... my friend." Sora said. Donald and Goofy giggled into their hands.

"He-ey!" a voice called.

Two kids came running over to us: a boy with blond hair and brown eyes wearing a black muscle shirt, grey vest, and camouflage capris and a girl with brown hair and green eyes wearing an orange tank-top with white floral designs and khaki capris.

"Hey, so how do you guys know Kairi?" Sora said.

The two kids glanced at each other, then at the ground.

"We met her earlier today." the girl, Olette, said.

"Kairi was really here?!" Sora said.

"Yeah. And... she said she was looking for you." the other boy, Hayner, said.

"Tell me where she is!"

"Something tells me that she's more than just a friend..." I whispered. Donald and Goofy giggled.

"Well..." Hayner said.

They told us the story; They had told Kairi that if she stayed, Sora would show up eventually. Then suddenly, a portal of darkness appeared and a man with spiky red hair wearing a black coat came out. Hayner and Pence "bravely" tried to fight against him, but they were no match for him and the man took Kairi.

"Kairi..." Sora said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a seashell-made charm. He gazed at it broodingly.

"Sora." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Ya think it might've been Axel?" I heard Goofy whisper behind me.

"Sorry." Hayner said.

"Hey, it's not your fault. C'mon, cheer up!" Sora said, trying to sound positive. His face fell and he stared at the ground. "Like I can even say that..."

Sora sighed.

"I've gotta help Kairi!" Sora cried suddenly.

Goofy stumbled back and dropped the trophy. The gems attached to it popped off and began rolling away. Hayner, Pence, and Olette ran up and caught them: orange, yellow, and green.

"That was close!" Pence said.

Sora leaned over and picked up the blue gem that rolled up to him. He reached his hand out. I stood closer to him and we looked through the gem as the sun's rays shined through it. Goofy pulled out a pouch, reached into it, and extracted from it another blue gem. For a few moments, it was quiet.

I glanced at Sora and I backed away in shock. The person that stood there was not Sora. He had spiky, golden blond hair. He wore a black, high-collared shirt with another one over it, unzipped and half-white, half-black. He wore caprice pants that ballooned out with shades of black, white, and gray. He wore bits of dull green and blue armor on his body, one section underneath his jacket, a pauldron on his left bicep, and his shoes. He had a wristband with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern and two crisscrossing straps on his chest with an unusual heart-shaped symbol on the center.

"Sora?!" I heard Donald cry, yet he, as well as everyone else, no longer stood beside me. The world around us disappeared.

The boy turned his attention from the gem to me and smiled. I stepped back.

"Who... are you?" I said.

But I knew those deep blue eyes that glistened in the sunlight. I knew _him_. I gulped in air, realizing that had I stopped breathing.

"Is it really you?" I said automatically, and I gasped and touched my charm.

_What's going on?!_

"Hallie, are you okay?" Goofy said.

I shook my head vigorously, and my friends appeared around me once again, their eyes on me. Goofy scratched his head. The blue gem in Sora's hand started to shimmer and it lifted out of his hands and above us. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole. Returning back to reality, I bowed my head in quiet, and confused, thoughtfulness.

"Wh-What just happened?" Pence said.

"A new road is open. And Kairi, Riku..." Sora glanced at me. "and Callum are waiting somewhere along it."

I lifted my eyes and smiled at him.

"Good luck with that." Olette said. "If you find Kairi, say hello for us!"

"Will you be back?" Hayner said.

"Of course!" I said.

"Promise!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>Back at the Gummi Ship, Sora sighed and dropped his head.<p>

"The King, Riku- and now I've lost Kairi again, too." Sora said.

"Don't be sad!" Donald said.

"Donald's right, you know! Why, you're the key that connects everything!" Goofy said.

"So it's all MY fault." Sora said.

"Gawrsh, I didn't mean it like that!"

"Everything's going to work out, Sora." I said. I looked ahead of me into the voids of space. "One day, all the ties will be connected, and... what you thought was lost forever will be found."

Sora looked at me thoughtfully. I looked at him and placed my hand over his.

"Don't give up on what your heart wants." I said.

Sora paused. "Thanks... Hallie." He smiled at me. The twinkle in his eyes returned.

Another locking sound. The image of the boy at the plaza came into my mind and I looked away. The thought of him made my heart speed up. I stood up and retreated to my room. I closed the door behind me and let out a deep sigh. The image of that boy filled my mind profusely, and I shook my head violently to try and clear it, with only little success. I unclipped my chain necklace and dangled it in front of my face. I traced my eyes along the creases of my black charm.

_Wait a minute..._

An intense flash of pain struck my brain, and I gasped as I dropped my necklace. I stepped back and used the wall to balance myself.

_That boy... he had the exact same symbol on his clothes._ I growled and slapped my fists against the sides of my head. _BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!_

Alarms blazed and my room was bathed in flashing red. I gasped and looked around in a panic.

"Hallie, get in here!" Donald's squawk penetrated through the walls of my room. I snatched up my necklace, clipped it back on and ran down the hallway.

"What's going on?!" I said as I entered the helm. The alarms sounded the loudest in here.

"Look!" Goofy cried, pointing ahead of us.

I rushed to the window and pressed my face against the window to get a closer look. I gasped when I saw shrouds of darkness choking Hollow Bastion. An ominous, black trench hung underneath.

_Oh, no. Please no. Not again..._

I stopped myself.

"We've got to get down there." Sora said. "Hallie, you'd better sit down. It'll be a bumpy ride."

Lingering on the horror in front of me, I stepped back and sat in my chair. Sora pressed a couple of buttons on the control panel, gripped the steering wheel, and plunged us further into space. A new face filled my mind, and a chill ran down my spine.

_First Demyx mentioned you, and now Saix? I gulped. Callum... what did you do?_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and her friends return to Twilight Town, which was apparently swallowed up in darkness a while back. They return to check on their friends, Hayner, Pence, and Olette, but as soon as they arrive, they head to the Sandlot to save Seifer and his gang from a swarm of Nobodies. After defeating the monsters, they meet the Organization XIII member, Saix. Hallie and Sora plot to go after him, believing he'll lead them to the Organization's world, but are caught off guard when Saix reveals that he knows Callum and Riku. The Organization member disappears, and while Sora and Hallie try to recollect themselves, Pence meets up with them and tells them that Sora's friend, Kairi, is there. But when they get to the station and meet up with Hayner and Olette, they learn that Kairi was kidnapped by Axel, another member of the Organization. Sora and Hallie seal away the heart of the world and say their goodbyes to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. As they cruise along the voids of space, they witness Hollow Bastion being covered in darkness!**

**How does Saix know Callum? How many more Organization members know of Hallie's friend? Who was the mysterious boy Hallie saw at the plaza, and _why_ did she see him?**

**~SPOILER ALERT~ If you thought the boy Hallie saw was Roxas, it wasn't. But, you are _very_ close.**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	20. Ansem's Computer Room

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

As we walked into Hollow Bastion, we saw some Soldier Heartless staggered past us. We gasped as they disappeared.

"Do you think..." Sora said.

"Looks like there's more Heartless now." Goofy said.

Suddenly, Dusks flew by.

"And Nobodies?" I said. "This can't be good."

"Let's go check in with everyone." Sora said.

"I think they're at Merlin's." Goofy said.

"Well, come on!" I cried, running ahead of them.

* * *

><p>We passed through the town's plaza and approached a man with blond spiky hair wearing all black. He was leaning against the wall with this eyes closed.<p>

"Oh, Cloud!" Sora said.

Cloud glanced up at us, then closed his eyes again.

"Whatcha doing?" Donald said.

"I'll get him. This time we settle it." Cloud said. "Me, and the one who embodies all the darkness in me."

"Ha, I thought you looked kinda different, Cloud." Donald said.

"If I do, it's his fault."

"Whose?" Sora said.

"Sephiroth." Cloud said. "Tell me if you see him."

"It'll be kind of hard since we don't know who he is." I said. "What does he look like?"

"Silver hair. Carries a long sword."

"Sure. Well, be seeing you, Cloud." Sora said.

We turned to leave, but Cloud opened his eyes and stood up straight.

"Be careful." he said. "He messes with your head, makes you think darkness is the only way."

"Is something wrong?" a sweet voice rang in the air.

Aerith approached Cloud and followed him as he tried to walk away.

"Uhh..." Sora said, crossing his arms.

Cloud turned to Aerith.

"It's nothing." he said. Aerith leaned in closer. "I don't want you involved."

"You mean you don't want me there when you go away again?" Aerith said.

"I just- Listen, even if I go far away, I'll come back."

"Do you mean it?"

"Yeah..."

"See? You don't look so sure... Well, okay, I understand. Go- get things settled."

"Huh?" Cloud said.

"No matter how far away you are... once you find your light... I'm sure it will lead you back here again. Right?" Aerith said.

"I suppose."

"So I'll stay here- and I'll cheer for you- Okay, Cloud?"

"Okay."

Cloud turned around and walked away. Sora stepped next to Aerith.

"Wonder if he'll be okay." Aerith said.

"He'll be fine." Sora said. "I'm sure there's some light in him somewhere."

I held my hand over my heart. "If there ever comes a time when you are lost in darkness, a heart of light will always come to save you." I said.

I stared at the ground in bewilderment. Those words felt strange as they came out of my mouth, like they belonged to someone else. I looked up at Aerith.

"My point is... even if Cloud does wind up in the darkness again, he knows that you'll be there to welcome him back to the light." I said.

Aerith smiled. "You're right."

My eyes trailed down to the leather cords on my right arm. I traced them and a flash of pain echoed in my brain.

* * *

><p>We entered Merlin's house, where Cid was typing away on a keyboard and Yuffie was standing next to him. He told us that Leon found the computer that Ansem once used. He gave us directions, but once we stepped out of the house, the boys stood around in a confused circle.<p>

"Where's the... castle postern?" Sora said, scratching his head.

I sighed and tapped my finger on my chin. My eyes scanned the area.

"Follow me." I said.

My feet felt like they had a mind of their own. We made our way into the bailey.

"Excuse me, are you with the Restoration Committee?" a voice said.

We turned around and saw three very unusual looking fairies floating before us.

"What's Leon's gang up to?" the middle girl with short brown hair asked.

"They've got stuff to do over by the castle postern." Sora said.

"Scoop!" the girl with long blond hair and a sunset ombre scarf cried.

"Huh?"

"Let's report." the third girl wearing all black said.

"To who?" Donald said.

"Our leader, of course!" the first girl said.

"Yeah, you know, M-" the second girl tried to speak, but the third girl covered her mouth.

"Don't mind her. I assure you, we come in peace." the third girl said.

"You're kidding..."

"Problem? Okay, fine, you do the talking."

The black fairy disappeared.

"So sorry about this!" the brunette fairy bowed and disappeared.

The blond fairy giggled and disappeared, shooting us a peace sign. Donald and Goofy looked at Sora. He shrugged.

"I don't know what that was all about, but we should continue heading over to the castle postern." I said.

* * *

><p>We ran into Aerith again, who told us that King Mickey was with Leon. Sora, Donald, and Goofy bounced excitedly on their feet at the thought of seeing him again, but I had some serious issues that I needed to discuss. We entered what looked to be someone's office. Books and papers were strewn across the floor and on a giant desk. Tall bookshelves stretched across the room, but the thing that caught our attention was the giant portrait of a man with white hair styled with spikes and pointy ears.<p>

"Ansem..." Sora said.

We approached the painting.

"Gawrsh, I guess this must be his room." Goofy said.

Donald looked around. "Where's the King?"

"Hello?" Sora called.

I studied the man in the painting. The name that they gave him, Ansem, didn't set quite right inside of me.

"Hey, guys, I don't think-" I said.

"Hey, you!" a voice called.

Standing at the door was a girl with long dark brown hair, brown eyes, and dressed in a black vest, shorts, and sneakers. She glanced around the room.

"I'm looking for somebody. Have any of you seen a guy with spiky hair?" the girl said.

Donald and Goofy looked at Sora. Sora reached up and pulled at one of his hair spikes.

The girl laughed. "Spikier." she said. We shook our heads. "I'll just take a look around."

The girl searched the room: knocking on walls, looking through "Ansem's" desk and bookshelves, and even trying to bring the wall down with a powerful roundhouse kick. The girl sighed.

"Sorry to bother you." she said as she left the room.

"No bother, ma'am!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said, standing at attention. I rolled my eyes.

"So you made it." a familiar voice said. We turned around.

"Leon!" Sora said.

Leon leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He stood up straight and nodded.

"Aerith said the King was with you." I said. "Is he here?"

Leon brought his finger up to his lips. "You'll see him soon enough."

"Hey!" Donald cried.

"Here, this ought to tide you over."

Leon turned around and pressed his hand against the wall. The wall disappeared and revealed a pathway.

"Ansem's computer room." Leon said.

* * *

><p>The computer room beeped and whirred with strange technology. Against the wall was a large computer with strange pictures and symbols on it. Sora ran over to the computer.<p>

"This is it!" he cried. "Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?"

Sora typed a few keys, but then settled with slamming his hands against the keyboard.

"Easy..." Leon said. "You wanna break it?"

"Oh, sorry..." Sora said, scratching the back of his head. "Guess I got a little carried away."

Goofy cried out and pointed at the ceiling. We looked up to see a strange, blue creature hanging from the ceiling. It let out a yelp and fell down on the computer.

"Get offa there!" Donald cried.

He jumped on the keyboard, but the creature jumped off of his head and scurried away. Donald growled and stepped around on the keyboard. Alarms went off suddenly.

"Attention current user. This is a warning." a deep, robotic voice said. "Further misuse of this terminal will result in immediate defensive action."

"Who's there?" Sora said.

"I am the Master Control Program. I oversee this system."

"Where are you?"

Donald moved his foot, causing more alarms to go off.

"Donald!" we all cried.

"I'm sorry!" Donald said.

"Decision gate reached. You are now under arrest." the computer said.

"Arrest?!" Sora cried.

We looked at each other in confusion. It was silent for a few moments. In my peripheral view, I saw Leon jump.

"Run!" he cried.

We whipped our heads to him, then forward. A portal-like object opposite from the computer began to glow. There was a flash of light.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hollow Bastion is overrun with Heartless **_**and**_** Nobodies! As they make their way to find Leon, they meet up with Cloud, the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, three unusual fairies, and Tifa. They also find out that King Mickey is with Leon! As they arrive in the castle postern, Leon guides Hallie and the others to Ansem's computer room. As they try to unlock the secrets of Ansem's computer, they accidentally trigger the computer's security system and are whisked away to an unknown prison! Nice going, Donald...**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	21. Circuitry

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

As I opened my eyes and saw nothing but a glowing blue color, I knew we were in for something interesting. I sat up and looked down at myself. I wore a dark gray jumpsuit with light blue circuitry. The sleeves were three-quarter with the shoulders cut out. My jumpsuit ended at mid-thigh and I wore tall boots that came up to that, leaving an inch of exposed skin. The cords on my arms remained there, but they glowed blue. My hair was gray, and my waterfall braid had circuit patterns woven through it. I traced a glowing blue chain headpiece across my forehead, made out of little hearts connected together. My skin was a tinted light blue. I looked over next to me and saw Sora laying there, dressed in similar dark gray armor and glowing blue circuitry.

"Sora." I said, shaking him.

He stirred and got up on to his hands and knees. We stood up and looked around. Sora was surprised to see the way that I looked and he examined himself.

"Sora! Hallie!" we heard Donald cry.

We turned to see Donald and Goofy walking towards us with their arms up in the air. They were surrounded by Stafer Heartless.

"Go on, show 'em who's boss!" Sora said.

We stepped forward, but there was a flash of light next to us and a man in light grey armor with glowing red circuitry stood in front of us.

"Who are you?" I said.

"I am Commander Sark." the man said.

"A Heartless commander?" Sora said, cracking a smile.

"Observe."

Sark pressed a button and electrocuted Donald and Goofy. Their circuitry shifted from red to yellow.

"Sora!" I cried, shoving him.

"Sorry!" he said. "Okay, you're the boss! I get it."

Sark looked at us and smirked.

* * *

><p>Sark and the Strafers locked us in a cell with a strange machine. We looked out the window and saw nothing but multicolored blocks lined up.<p>

"Man, what kind of world is this, anyway?" Sora said, crossing his arms. Donald and Goofy shook their heads.

"You're inside a mainframe computer system." a voice said.

We turned to see a man sitting against the wall. He had dark gray armor with glowing blue circuit patterns like us.

"A what system?" Sora said.

"A computer system- for processing data. This system is a copy of one created by a corporation called ENCOM. The original program was destroyed." the man stood up. "But this copy was acquired by another User. The new User updated and customized the programs, renaming the system "Hollow Bastion OS." He used the system for town maintenance, and to advance his private research. My name is Tron. I'm a security program. But now I'm under arrest, same as you."

"Did you guys get any of that?" Sora said. Donald and Goofy thought to themselves.

I sighed and shook my head.

"I'm Hallie." I said. "This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

"With that configuration, you must be Users." Tron said, studying us.

"Users?" Sora said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked totally discombobulated.

"You'd better get out of here quickly." Tron said. "Who knows what the MCP will do to you?"

"MCP?" Sora said.

"The Master Control Program. It controls the whole system."

"Sora, you are hopeless." I said, shaking my head.

"Do YOU have any idea what he's talking about?" Sora said.

"More than you do."

Sora sighed.

"If you idle here, you will be de-rezzed." Tron said.

"De-rezzed?!" Donald cried.

"So, how do we get out of here?!" Sora said.

Tron crossed his arms and thought to himself. He turned and walked to the mechanism behind him.

"This terminal could've gotten you back to the User world." Tron said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at Tron with hopeful expressions.

"But the MCP cut the power 50 microcycles ago."

The hopefulness drooped.

"Is there anyway that we could turn the power back on?" I said.

"If we could bring the energy core in the canyon online, we could power it back up." Tron said. "The problem is- we're stuck in this cell. We're not going anywhere unless we unlock the energy field."

I examined the energy field and I noticed a blinking keyhole in the center of the door.

_Unlock._

I looked at Sora and he nodded. We summoned our Keyblades. I walked up to the energy field and hit it with Chaos Ripper. Black clusters of data flew out of the energy field and absorbed into my Keyblade. Sora did the same thing. When we had enough, we pointed out Keyblades at the field. Beams shot into the keyhole and the energy field disappeared.

"Remarkable..." Tron said. "It seems you have some unique functions."

Sora crossed his arms.

"That's a compliment." I whispered.

"I'll go with you to the canyon." Tron said. "You'll need someone who can interface with the energy core, right?"

"If you say so..." Sora said. "Thanks, Tron."

* * *

><p>We arrived at the energy core and began to access the computer. At the top of the core, there were glowing purple blocks inserted into slots, but one was empty.<p>

"This is the energy core." Tron said. "We need to find the real part in order to power it up."

Suddenly, boxes identical to the ones in the energy core appeared and circled around the room. I watched one of them that had glowing red circuitry.

"That one!" I said, after the boxes began to move around the room.

I ran to the piece and struck it with my Keyblade. It lit up. Using my Keyblade, I lifted up the part and brought it into the empty slot. The energy core lit up and spun down into the canyon. The circuits on the ground lit up.

"Mission accomplished?" Sora said.

"Yes. Now... will you do something for me?" Tron said.

"You got it!" Sora said.

"Don't you want to hear what it is first?"

"You helped us! Now it's our turn." Donald said.

"You guys really are Users." Tron said. "Your actions are totally illogical. Let's head back to the pit cell."

Sora crossed his arms. "Where's that again?"

"That's the sector where we met."

* * *

><p>Back at the pit cell, the terminal was up and running. Tron typed away.<p>

"So what is it you need us to do?" I asked.

"Find my User. He'll give you the password to access the DTD." Tron said.

"You bet!" Donald said.

"So, um..." Sora said, crossing his arms.

"DTD is the name my User gave to the dataspace." Tron said. "Copies of all the original system programs are stored there, along with anything that's sensitive or restricted."

"Is there stuff about the Heartless, or Organization XIII?" Goofy said.

"Hmm... Most likely." Tron turned around and tinkered with the terminal some more. "A number of my functions were appropriated when I last took on the MCP. That's why I need the password. If I can get inside the DTD, I can access my original backup program and restore all my functions. Then, I'll be able to put this system back the way it was before the MCP got control and changed everything. The way it was supposed to be- a free system for you- the Users."

"Gee, Tron, ain't the MCP one of those programs, too?" Goofy said. "Do ya know who it was that made it?"

"Actually... I don't know."

"Okay, we'll just have to find your user and ask him. What's his name?" Sora said.

"You mean you don't know?" Tron said. He chuckled. "My User is the user of this system: Ansem the Wise."

"Ansem?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried. They looked at each other.

"Guys, I-" I said.

The terminal began wigging out.

"Looks like the MCP's on to us." Tron said. "I'll keep this terminal up and running. You better exit this system, now!"

"Sure... But Tron... Ansem is..." Sora said.

"We'll get you the password!" I cried.

"Okay, you're good to go." Tron said. "Hurry!"

We stepped forward and were surrounded by columns of light.

* * *

><p>We returned to Ansem's computer room, where Leon stared at us completely dumbfounded. We looked at each other and smiled.<p>

"We did it!" Donald cried.

"Where have you been?" Leon said.

"Inside the computer." I said. "There's a completely different kind of world in there."

"Yeah. Where these, um... programs live, and..." Sora said.

We explained to him about what Tron told us about the DTD.

"So, in other words... Ansem's research data is off-limits unless we know the password." Leon said.

"In a nutshell, yes." I said.

"But you've already defeated Ansem..."

"Well, actually, I don't-"

"Gawrsh, maybe we'll never find the password." Goofy said.

"That means... this is all a wild goose chase." Leon said.

Leon sighed.

"You're chasing what, now?" a voice said.

The girl dressed in black, Tifa, stood at the doorway.

"Well, well! A hidden room!" she said. "Guess I'd better take another look around."

We followed Tifa into the office study, where we watched her tear the room apart even more.

"She just won't give up..." Sora said, putting his hands behind his head.

"What is she looking for, anyways?" I said.

"Beats me..."

"C'mon, we've gotta look for that password!" Goofy said.

"Right. We made a promise to Tron."

* * *

><p>We stood beside Tifa in front of the portrait of "Ansem".<p>

"Excuse me." Tifa said.

She walked up to the painting, rubbed her gloved hands together, and lifted it up and set it against the wall. Strange purple markings stained the walls. Tifa looked at the wall for a moment before punching it. Nothing happened except a layer of disturbed dust falling over her. She sighed in defeat and walked out of the room.

Sora crossed his arms and stared at the markings. "What's this doodle?" he said.

"Hollow... Main... Security... Tron..." Donald said. "Door to..."

"Looks like a diagram of somethin'." Goofy said.

"Door... to... Darkness?"

"OH!" Sora cried. "D- T- D!"

"What's up?" Leon said as he walked into the room.

"Look at this! This must be the dataspace!" Sora said. "The DTD. See? The Door to Darkness!"

Leon walked up to the diagram and examined it.

"What do you know." he said. "But... that still leaves the password."

"Say, fellas, did somebody mention the Door to Darkness?" a voice said.

We turned around, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped. Standing at the door was a mouse dressed in a black Organization coat.

"Your Majesty!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried.

Mickey raised a finger to his lips and closed the door behind him. When he turned around, Donald ran up and tackled him with a hug. Goofy chortled and lifted the two up into a group hug.

"This is Mickey?" I said.

"Yeah!" Sora said. "Long time no see!"

"Shh!" Mickey said. "The Organization might be listening!"

Sora nodded and put his finger to his lips. Goofy set Donald and Mickey down. Mickey looked around the room.

"You mentioned the Door to Darkness?" Mickey said.

"Uh, yes, sir!" Goofy said as he and Donald stood at attention. "Ya see, we're lookin' for the secret password."

"Password?" Mickey said. "Oh, I guess you mean like a code! Well, the Door to Darkness can only be opened by the seven princesses. There's Snow White, Jasmine, and Belle..."

"Of course." Leon said. He walked down the hallway to the computer room.

"What're you tryin' to do?" Mickey said.

"With that password, we can get access to Ansem's research data." Sora said.

"So that means you might be able to find out where he is!"

"Stop jokin' around, Your Majesty. We already defeated Ansem. You know that." Sora laughed.

"Sora, that's what I-" I said.

"Looks like I've got a lot of explainin' to do." Mickey said.

I grumbled.

"We're listening, Your Majesty!" Donald said.

"Okay... but first, I've got a question..." Sora said.

"Yeah, and I've got a couple thousand." I said.

"Hey, isn't Tron waiting for you guys?" Leon said.

The three boys looked between Mickey and Leon.

"Don't worry. I'm not goin' anywhere." Mickey said. "If those Heartless attack, I'll stand and fight with everybody here."

"Yeah, we will, too." Sora said.

"Then we'll talk some more later."

"That's a promise!" Donald said.

"I'll see ya when you get back." Mickey said. He turned his eyes to me. "I've got a lot to talk to you about, Hallie."

I flinched. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at me.

"Um... okay." I said.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Sora and Hallie awake in a strange world that lies within Ansem's computer. A man named Sark throws Hallie and her friends into prison, where they meet a security program named Tron. They break out of their prison cell, activate the energy core, and bring back to life a terminal that'll take the gang back to Hollow Bastion. With orders from Tron, they return to the User world to find the password to the DTD (whatever **_**that**_** is). With the help of Tifa, they learn the dataspace is actually the Door to Darkness. As the gang tries to figure out the password, King Mickey appears! Now they must return to the computer world and help Tron, with the mystery of Mickey's words hanging in the air.**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	22. Let the Games Begin

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

We arrived at the pit cell, but Tron wasn't around anywhere.

"Gawrsh, I wonder where Tron is." Goofy said as he walked up to the computer.

"Don't touch that!" Donald cried.

"Huh?"

The terminal started to wig again.

"Goofy!" Sora said.

"Uh... I didn't do it!" Goofy cried.

Suddenly, we were whisked away in columns of light.

* * *

><p>The columns transported us to a large grid area.<p>

"I didn't touch nothin'!" Goofy said.

"Where are we?" I said.

"Welcome to the game grid." Sark's voice echoed in the room.

"Game grid?" Sora said.

"That's right, you've been chosen to play a few games. Lose, and you will be subject to immediate de-resolution. Win? Well..." Sark chuckled. "No one wins."

"We're not gonna play your games!" Donald said.

"You have no choice."

"Well, then get on with it!" Sora said.

Suddenly, a large motorcycle-like vehicle with glowing blue circuitry appeared in front of us.

"Are we supposed to get on this thing?" I said.

"I think so." Sora said, climbing onto the light cycle. He twisted one of the handles and the engine revved up. "Let's do this together."

"Together? I'm not sure I want to-" Sora grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the light cycle behind him. "Oh, uh, okay then..."

"Let the games begin." Sark said.

"You might want to hold on to something." Sora said.

"Uh..."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and the light cycle sped forward. As we moved, walls appeared alongside us. Red, blue, and green Magnum Loaders cruised alongside us.

"Uh, Sora?" I said, my voice raising an octave with each syllable.

One Magnum Loader covered himself in a green shield and rammed into us. The light cycle lurched to the side and crashed into the wall.

"Hey, that's not nice!" Sora said.

"Nice doesn't cut it here." I said, fixing my hair.

I summoned Chaos Ripper and threw it at a Magnum Loader. It sliced through it and the Heartless crashed into the wall. After the Heartless were defeated, we came to a stop and got off the light cycle. A Devastator appeared and shot an electron ball at us. We jumped out of the way. The electron ball crashed into the wall and created a large hole.

"All right! It looks like we can escape through there!" Sora said.

We climbed onto the light cycle again and zoomed towards the hole. Suddenly, the walls shifted to the right at the last second.

"Turn. TURN!" I cried.

Sora swerved to the right. Yellow Magnum Loaders approached us. One rammed into us and we crashed into the wall.

"Okay, I'm getting real tired of you guys!" I said. "This'll only take a minute."

I steadied myself and stood up on the back of the light cycle.

"Hallie, what are you doing?!" Sora said.

"I'm playing the games my way." I said.

I summoned Chaos Ripper and jumped forward. I landed on a Magnum Loader and stabbed it in the chest. As it cut to the left and into a wall, I backflipped onto another Magnum Loader. I positioned myself on its shoulders.

"FORE!" I cried.

I swung my Keyblade like a golf club and smacked it into the Heartless's head, wiping it clean off. Sparks sputters from the damaged wires poking from its neck.

"Uh oh-"

The Heartless exploded, wiping out the others. I flew back from the impact. Sora reached out his hand and grabbed mine. I used the momentum to swing myself back onto the light cycle.

"See? Piece of cake." I said, holding onto him once more.

As we approached the hole, two Devastators appeared at the sides. They shot multiple electron balls at us. We screamed and Sora revved up the light cycle and shot us forward past the Devastators into the hole.

* * *

><p>Columns of light took us back to the pit cell and we all sighed in relief. We looked and saw Tron laying on the ground.<p>

"Tron!" Sora said.

Tron slowly staggered to his feet. He stared at us in disbelief.

"I don't understand. Why are you here?" Tron said.

"We came to give you the password." Sora said.

"Why didn't you just transmit the data?" Tron said, burying his face in his hand and shaking his head.

"Transmit?" Donald said.

Tron fell forward and Sora caught him.

"Tron, what's wrong?" I said. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be all right... once we access the DTD." Tron said.

* * *

><p>We ran to the Dataspace, a single platform surrounded by bright green walls. Tron approached the computer.<p>

"All right, what's the password?" Tron said.

"Well..." Donald said. "Belle, Snow White..."

"Aurora, Alice, Jasmine, Cinderella..." Goofy said.

"Kairi." Sora and I said. We looked at each other in surprise.

Tron typed in each of the names and the computer came to life.

"That did it!" Tron said.

Alarms filled the air.

"Now switching DTD over from hibernation to active mode. This process will take some time. Please enjoy a game while the process is running."

"Oh, no!" Tron cried, typing away at the keyboard.

"Not another game!" Sora said.

"No, it's the DTD's final security routine. This isn't a game. Stay focused!"

The computer screens displayed the Heartless emblem. Strafers appeared. I slashed at one and once it disappeared, black clusters of data absorbed into my Keyblade.

"I bet this is how we stop the monitors!" I said.

After I collected enough data, I pointed my Keyblade at a monitor. The data transferred into the monitor and it froze. Sora did the same with another one. We froze the third one together. The Heartless disappeared and it was quiet. Tron walked up to the computer. He laid his hand on the print on the keyboard and it lit up.

"I'm as good as new! All my functions have been restored!" Tron said.

"Oh boy!" Donald cried.

More alarms went off. The keyboard glowed purple and red.

"What now?!" I said.

A ray of electricity shot down in the middle of us. We all jumped back.

"Finally. I have full access to the DTD." the MCP said. "My takeover of the system is now complete. I might have anticipated such a simple password. What's this? An emergency destruct program for the town. Let's see how it performs."

"No!" I cried.

Tron placed his hand on the keyboard print again and it glowed. Tron typed away. The alarms stopped and the computer changed back to its blue color.

"Program! You changed the password!" the MCP said.

"There, that should buy us some time." Tron said.

"Tron! Tell us what's going on!" Sora said.

"The MCP's loading a hostile program into the I/O tower."

"What do we do?" Donald said.

"We've got to protect the User town." We nodded. "Let's head to the tower!"

* * *

><p>Inside the IO tower, there was a terminal inside and a single platform that glowed purple. We could see darkness seeping into it.

"It must be total chaos outside." Tron said.

"I think there's gonna be trouble INSIDE, too..." Donald said.

We saw that the terminal was on and working.

"We've got to protect the town from the MCP." I said. "They're probably right behind us."

"Then let's go de-rezz some Heartless." Sora said, summoning Kingdom Key.

* * *

><p>We ran into the IO Tower room, where a Hostile Program came down from the ceiling and loomed over us.

"I'm disappointed in you, program." the MCP said. "Why do you insist on allying with these selfish Users?"

"Because I want to help them." Tron said. "Something written into my code commands me to do what is right."

"Really? And what command would that be?"

Tron shrugged. "I can't really say for sure."

"Friends- they help each other, that's all." Sora said.

"And no matter what, they stand together." I said. "Friends don't give up on friends."

"Uh-oh- look out!"

The Hostile Program shot lasers from its spikes, creating a crystal blue barrier around the room. I summoned Chaos Ripper. As we attacked, clusters of data fell from the Hostile Program. When we gathered enough data, we froze the Heartless and attacked it. The Hostile Program crashed to the ground and light seeped through the cracks in its armor. We covered our eyes from the light and the Heartless exploded.

* * *

><p>We returned to the Communications Room and the purple platform now had a pillar of light coming from it. Tron went to the terminal and typed on the keyboard.<p>

"I really owe you one. With all my functions up and running, I think I've got a chance of getting system control away from the MCP." Tron said. "Now I'd better get to work. It's what my User would want."

"What Ansem would want..." Sora said. He glanced at Donald and Goofy. "Listen, Tron. We didn't get the password from Ansem. We just sort of found it, back in the User world. By accident... And one more thing... Ansem- he was our enemy. I mean... he still is... I guess."

"Well, actually, he's my enemy, too." Tron said.

"What do you mean?"

"Ansem took ENCOM's original system and customized it for his own use. I was part of the original system, and Ansem modified me, too. So that makes him my User. But Ansem is also the one who brought back the MCP. The Ansem I first knew wouldn't do that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that."

I crossed my arms and stared at the ground with a scowl.

_So this Ansem guy first customized ENCOM and created Tron. Good. But then he brought back a dangerous system? Bad. This doesn't make sense... unless someone else did it...?_

"That's okay... but now I REALLY don't get it." Sora said.

"I don't... understand it either." Tron said. "But I think Users, like you, are going to be the ones who will finally figure it out. You have the ability to take illogical routes and still arrive at the answers you seek. Now go- before the MCP starts acting up again! Any data you need from the DTD can be accessed directly through my User's terminal."

"User terminal?" Sora said.

"Ansem's computer." I said.

"I'll keep a dedicated access channel open for you. I changed the password, so you won't have to worry about the MCP for a while." Tron said.

"Access channel?" Sora said. I rolled my eyes.

"I knew you'd ask. It's a very important link between our worlds. It's how we stay connected." Tron said. Data pillars appeared around us. "You... my friends... are the new password."

"Thanks, Tron! Take care!"

"You too! And give my best to the Users!"

The data pillars filled with light.

* * *

><p>We arrived back into Ansem's computer room.<p>

"Well, that's that!" Sora said.

Leon pointed at the computer with a smile. "Look." he said.

Dancing on the computer were 8-bit version of ourselves with a message below that read "THANK YOU!"

"That's sweet." I giggled.

"Tron... hang in there." Sora said.

"So, where do we start?" Leon said.

"I know! Let's access the DTD!"

Leon typed on the keyboard.

"The King's checking the situation in town. He'll be back soon, so don't worry." Leon said. "Hey, look, it's asking for a password."

"That's easy. It's..." Goofy said.

"Sora!" Sora cried.

"Donald!" Donald cried.

"Goofy!" Goofy said.

"Hallie!" I said.

"That's... to the point." Leon said.

"Well?" Sora said.

"That did it. We're in." Leon turned to Sora. "I have to go into town. Need to see what that last shakeup did."

"You're not gonna check out the data? It wasn't exactly easy to get!" Sora said.

"I'm coming right back. Hey, Sora- why don't you get started on loading the data and copying it down?"

Sora gave Leon a look of disbelief, as if to say with his eyes "You're really putting _me_ in charge of this?"

"It's just a few keystrokes. Easy, right?" He patted Sora on the shoulder and left the room.

We stood in front of the computer.

"Did it work?" Donald said.

"Hey, these things take time, okay?!" Sora said.

Sora typed a few keys.

"Whoa... It's doing something!" he cried in astonishment.

"I think it wants to know what we wanna know." Goofy said.

"Riku and Kairi!" Sora typed away on the keyboard.

A red window popped up that read "DATA ERROR".

"No way... Even Ansem's computer doesn't even know..." Sora said, sulking away.

"Hmm..." I said. I stepped up to the computer and typed in some words.

"Whatcha doing?" Donald said.

"Maybe the computer knows something about Nobodies." I said.

As I typed, the three boys hovered over my shoulder. A report popped up with a strange emblem in the background.

"What's this?" Sora said.

Another DATA ERROR window popped up.

"The data is corrupt." an electronic voice said.

"WHA-?!" Donald squawked.

"How about the Organization?" Goofy said.

I typed some more keys in. "There!" I said.

A loading screen came up, along with another DATA ERROR window.

"The data is corrupt."

"Stupid computer!" Sora cried.

He slammed his hands against the computer. Windows of different colors appeared on the screen upside down and all funky-like.

"Sora!" I said.

There was a beep, and suddenly a picture of a man with long blond hair wearing a thick red scarf appeared.

_Huh? Ansem?_

"Who's this guy?" Sora said.

"Welp, I see ya got things workin' out!" a familiar high-pitched voice said.

"Oh, Your Majesty!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried.

Mickey brought his finger to his lips and walked over to us.

"Good goin'. The computer should tell us the things we need to know." Mickey said.

"But it keeps on sayin' the data inside's all ker-skuffled." Goofy said.

"Corrupted." I corrected him.

"All we got is a picture of some guy we don't know." Sora said, pointing to the man's picture.

Mickey looked at the portrait and jumped up in the air.

"Ansem the Wise!" he cried.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other.

"Come on, are you teasing us again?" Sora said.

"Did you forget what Ansem looked like, Your Majesty?" Donald said.

"Of course I do!" Mickey said. "And this is him! I'm positive!"

"HUH?"

Sora grabbed Mickey's arm and began dragging him away down the hallway.

"Excuse me? Could you come this way, please?" Sora said.

"Wait, Sora-!" I said.

But the three boys and the King were already going around the corner. I growled and followed them.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**As soon as they return to the computer world, Hallie and her friends are whisked away to the Game Grid and are forced to participate in its games. They arrive in the Dataspace and insert the password, where they have to fight even more heartless. With the password, the MCP is able to control all of the DTD and threatens to destroy Hollow Bastion, but Tron changes the password at the last second to buy them time. They head to the I/O tower and defeat the hostile program that awaits them there. Tron tells the gang of how Ansem the Wise is responsible for creating ENCOM and Tron, but also bringing back the MCP. They return to Hollow Bastion and unlock Ansem's computer, but all the data is corrupt. After a frustrating moment, they find a portrait of Ansem the Wise, someone Mickey and Hallie both recognize. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are all confused, so now it's time for Mickey to finally explain things.**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	23. A Ticking Bomb

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

We stood in the study looking at the large portrait of "Ansem".

"Look, THIS is Ansem." Sora said. "You know, the guy we all worked _reeeally_ hard to defeat?"

"Oh, that's right- I never finished explaining." Mickey said.

"Wha-?" Donald squawked.

"Well, the man in the picture is definitely the one who tried to take over Kingdom Hearts- the one you fellas defeated." Mickey said. "But, what you actually fought was his Heartless. Ya see, he wasn't really Ansem. He just went around telling everyone that he was."

"You mean..." Sora said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy paused for a moment while they looked at each other.

"WHAAAAT?!" they all cried, and Mickey and I jumped in surprise.

"We went through all that trouble to defeat an imposter?!" Sora said.

"Yep. A fake. But he still had to be stopped." Mickey said.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you guys!" I said, stomping my foot.

"You _knew_ all of this and you didn't tell us?" Sora said.

I shot him a glare and he backed away.

"How did you know?" Goofy said.

I looked at the portrait. "I... I don't know." I said. "But when you said his name, it just didn't seem right to me. And then I saw the picture of the man on the computer, and the name Ansem came into my head. But still... this man looks familiar to me."

"Really? Do you know him?

"I don't know. Erased memory, remember?"

Mickey stared at me and I saw puzzle pieces fitting together behind his eyes.

"Aw, I can't believe it..." Donald said, crossing his arms.

"Uh, I'm kinda confused. If he's a fake, then what happened to the real Ansem?" Goofy said.

"Welp, that's just what I'm tryin' to figure out." Mickey said. "Ansem the Wise should know all about Organization XIII's plans, and what's been happening to the worlds. I'm pretty sure he'll give us some help. Ya know, I came close to finding him once..."

"Hmm..." Goofy said.

"Don't tell me there's more?" Sora said. "I'm lost enough as it is!"

"Well, let's see. Some feller named Ansem, who wasn't really Ansem, became a Heartless. Does that mean a Nobody got created when that happened, too?"

"Yup!" Mickey said. "And that Nobody is the leader of the Organization."

"WHAT?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried. I crossed my arms and stared at the portrait. The back of my neck tingled.

"I know I've met this fake Ansem before, and I've seen the leader of Organization XIII, too. Hmm, kinda felt like bein' around the same fella."

"So, where did you meet this guy?" Sora said.

"Gosh... I can't remember. Ansem the Wise- the real Ansem- must know the imposter's true identity. That's why I've got to find him and ask him about it."

"You... you started all of this!" Sora said to the painting. "Because of you, Riku and Kairi... Oh! Your Majesty, do you know where Riku is?"

Mickey jumped. "He's... I'm sorry. I can't help."

"Really, Your Majesty? Are you sure?"

"I'm sorry, Sora."

"What about Kairi? Organization XIII might've kidnapped her."

"Oh, no!" Mickey cried.

Sora glanced over and saw me staring at the painting with a blank expression.

"Why aren't you fazed by all of this?" Sora said.

I knit my eyebrows together and shook my head. "I... I don't know! These faces, these names... they're so familiar, but I don't know WHY they are!" I knocked the sides of my head with my hands. "What you're talking about... I already know this! Sometimes you tell me information, and my brain somehow reacts with its own knowledge. I even question Yen Sid's wisdom!"

I clenched my fists and scowled.

"This... Kingdom Hearts that everyone is after- the Organization, Maleficent, Ansem, and every other gosh darn person in the world- it would destroy all of you in the blink of an eye! Your plans to gain control of it are ludicrous and pointless! You aren't fit for its power! _None of you deserve it!_"

The fear in everyone's eyes snapped me back. Chaos Ripper was at my side, and my knuckles clenched it so hard they turned white. But none of them looked at me. I traced their eyes to my right arm. Chaos Ripper and the leather cords on my arm pulsated with darkness. A pool of darkness bubbled at my feet and coils of darkness rose up in the air. The darkness collected together above me.

_Is this... coming from me?_ I stumbled back, but the pool of darkness followed me. I clenched my heart as pain throbbed in my chest.

The darkness caused the room to rumble and my friends shielded themselves from the power. I let out a scream and it exploded. The darkness spread in various directions and dissolved into the walls. Chaos Ripper dispelled itself. An eerie silence followed as I tried to bring the aching rate of my heartbeat down. My chest and right arm felt sore. The eyes of my friends reflected the three worst emotions: Doubt. Confusion. Fear. My filled lungs burned from lack of steady breathing. I let it out in a choked exhale, and I ran out of the room.

"Hallie, wait!" I heard Sora call.

* * *

><p>As I ran down the corridors, I heard a voice.<p>

"Hear me, my Heartless!" a female voice boomed. "Attack the white husks! Sweep them away!"

I peeked my head around the corner and saw Maleficent and Pete. Heartless and Nobodies clashed together in a battle.

"They're... fighting?" I said to myself. "But why?"

"What, are you nuts? We're never gonna win!" Pete cried. "I don't know about you, but I'm outta here, sister!"

He ran down the hall towards me. I gasped and pressed my back against the wall. Pete ran right past me, not even acknowledging my presence.

_Typical Pete..._

"Pathetic coward..." Maleficent said.

Some of the Dusks stared at Maleficent. She scowled, then turned her head. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran in, striking their battle stances. Maleficent scoffed and disappeared in a blaze of green fire.

"Heartless! Leave the white ones. Turn your attention to Sora and his friends!" Maleficent said.

"Uh oh!" Goofy cried.

The Armored Knights and the Dusks turned to the three boys and approached them.

"Where's Hallie?" Sora said.

"Maybe she left already." Goofy said.

Something tugged in my heart, urging me to go and help them. But it wasn't because I felt like I had to. No... I _wanted_ to protect them. I _needed_ to protect them. They're my friends...

But the urge wasn't strong enough. I watched Sora, Donald, and Goofy laid waste to the Nobodies and Heartless.

_I guess they didn't need my help after all..._

As Sora looked around the room, his eyes fell on me.

"Hallie!" he cried.

I gulped and ran.

"Wait!"

* * *

><p>I ran across the postern with the three boys right behind me. Suddenly, a column of light crashed down in between us and we jumped back in different directions. The light subsided, revealing a man with long silver hair, black clothing, and a dark angel wing on his back. He turned around towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy.<p>

"Sora, it's Sephiroth!" Donald said.

"Ain't Sephiroth the one who's supposed to be the dark part of Cloud's heart?" Goofy said.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Did Cloud tell you that? Then he must understand now."

"Just what are you gonna do to him?" Sora said.

"Nothing. Cloud is the one who hungers for Darkness."

"He said he's got a score to settle with you."

"I see... He wants to meet me again." Sephiroth turned towards me and I gulped. "Then I should give him what he wants. That last bit of light is always the hardest to snuff out."

My gaze followed Sephiroth as he rose up in the air and disappeared in a ball of darkness.

"Hallie!"

I turned around, but a hand seized mine.

"Hallie, stop running!" Sora said.

"Let me go." I said.

"No."

"You saw what I did! That darkness came from me. What if I used it against you? What if I hurt you guys? I'm nothing but a monster!"

"Hallie..."

I looked up at Sora. The look of complete serenity on his face baffled me.

"Why are you so calm about this? I'm a ticking bomb." I said. I tugged my arm in a failed attempt to break free. "Let me go, Sora. You're strong enough to handle this without me. Just let me go and forget about me!"

"No." Sora's hand tightened around mine. "Never. You know why? Because you're my friend."

I looked away and sighed.

"You're just confused: about the Organization, about the Heartless, and about yourself." Sora said. "But no matter how much you try to push me or Donald or Goofy or anyone away, it won't work. We're with you until the end. Friends don't give up on friends, remember?"

I looked up and a lump formed in my throat at the sight of those deep blue eyes. Sora examined my face for a few moments before his softened into a smile. He pulled on my arm and enveloped me in a hug. It surprised me at first, but the dam holding back my tears broke and I returned the embrace, squeezing his torso tightly.

"I'm scared." I said, loathing this sense of vulnerability.

"Sometimes we all need to cry. Even the most fearless warriors get scared sometimes. And that's okay. You're safe here." Sora said. "It's moments like this that help us become stronger."

I pulled away and stepped back shyly.

"Hollow Bastion is in trouble. We need to stick together to protect it." Sora said.

I looked at him in disbelief.

_Hollow Bastion? In trouble? No... not on my watch._

I looked at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They each smiled brightly at me. The happiness was contagious and I smiled back. I nodded and summoned Chaos Ripper.

"Yes. Together." I said.

* * *

><p>We ran down to the town and saw Leon and Aerith fighting Armored Knights.<p>

"We'll help out!" Sora said.

"Sora! Behind you!" Aerith cried.

We turned around and Dancers and Creepers appeared. We attacked them.

"The King's in the bailey. You'd better head over there!" Leon called.

"Got it!" Sora said.

But there was no bailey to head over to. The area was completely destroyed. We ran to the edge of the debris and looked over the view.

"Whoa..." Sora said.

"Oh... my..." I whispered.

A tsunami of Armored Knights and Surveillance Robots marched along the path below us. They were headed right for us. Among the calamity, our friends fought against the Heartless: Yuffie, Aerith, Leon, Cloud, Tifa, the blue alien Stitch, and even the three fairies that I still don't know the names of.

"I've never seen so many Heartless!" I said.

"Leon, everybody- hang in there!" Sora said.

We ran forward, but we stopped when King Mickey jumped down in front of us. He held his arms out to the sides and glanced at us over his shoulder.

"Okay, fellas, you've gotta go find Riku and Kairi!" Mickey said.

"But Leon and the others are friends, too!" Sora said.

"Don't worry. There's already lotsa help here. We'll take care of this fight."

"Did you not see all the Heartless out there? We want to help you!" I said.

"I... promised Leon!" Sora said.

"Donald! Goofy! Hallie!" Mickey said, at which the two boys stood at attention at the sound of their names. "Take Sora and get goin'!"

"Riku, Kairi... give me a little time, okay?" Sora said to himself.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other. They looked at me and nodded. I gave them a little smile and nodded back.

"Your Majesty!" Donald said.

"We understand. We'll go search for Riku and Kairi!" Goofy said.

"Right! Watch for danger!" Mickey said.

"You be careful, too!" Donald said.

"Keep on fighting those Heartless!" I said.

Sora turned to us with a look of betrayal. "Wait, you guys!" he said.

"Sora, do as you're told!" Donald said.

"You're comin' with us whether ya want to or not!" Goofy said.

"No backtalk!" I said.

"C'mon, Sora! Ya gotta be good!" Donald said.

He gave Sora a wink. Sora smiled.

"Gotcha." he said.

"Well then, skedaddle!" Goofy said.

"Come on, vamoose! We've got some friends to find!" I said.

"Thank you." Sora mouthed.

"Let's go!" Donald said.

We ran past Mickey and jumped down the ledge. We looked back at him.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." Sora said and jumped over another ledge.

Donald and Goofy saluted.

"Hope you can forgive us!" Goofy said.

They jumped over the ledge.

"Hallie. Stop." Mickey walked over to me.

"I'm sorry, Mickey, but once you get those three going, there's no chance of stopping them." I said.

"I know. I need to talk to you."

I turned to Mickey. "About what? Me?"

"Yes. I know Master Yen Sid spoke with you when you first began your journey. I've been looking for you ever since you disappeared."

"Disappeared?" I paused and remembered my time in that abyss of nothing. "How long have you looked for me?"

"Hm... I'm guessing around ten or eleven years."

"What?!" I've been missing for _ten years_? Did I spend all that time in darkness?

"There's something you need to know, Hallie. I may be repeating Yen Sid in some things, but that just means how important it is. You have a very intense role in Sora's life; In everyone's life, as a matter of fact. You are destined to be one of the seven guardians of light, but it's you alone who determines whether that truly comes to pass. This battle is just the beginning of what's to come. You need to be prepared and rely on your friends for help." Mickey said.

I stared at my clasped hands. _One of the seven guardians of light? Why do I feel like I already know this? It's like Yen Sid all over again..._

Mickey walked over and placed his hand over mine. "People are counting on you, Hallie. Callum's counting on you."

My head snapped up. I wrenched my hands from Mickey's and I backed away. "How... how do you know about Callum?" I took another step and the ground disappeared. I cried out as I tumbled over the edge. I kicked my feet against the rock wall, pushed myself to my feet, and landed on the ground. I crouched down as a wave of nausea washed over me.

_Even King Mickey knows about you._ I looked up to see Mickey peeking his cloaked head over the edge. I scowled, stood up, and ran down the path after my friends.

* * *

><p>As we ran over to the Castle Gates, we stopped as a portal of darkness appeared before us. Out came Demyx, the man we ran into back at Olympus Coliseum. He saw us and flinched.<p>

"Hey, you guys are looking lively." Demyx said.

"Scram!" Donald cried.

"Didn't we catch you messing around in the Underworld?" Sora said. "How'd a wimp like you get into Organization XIII?"

Demyx gasped and cowered back a little. Sora crossed his arms.

"I bet you can't even fight." he said.

"Yeah, but we can!" Donald said.

"You shouldn't judge anyone by appearance." Demyx said, shaking his finger scoldingly.

We summoned our weapons and struck our battle stances. Demyx cowered back again. He turned around and mumbled to himself.

"Ohhh... I told them they were sending the wrong guy..." he whined.

"Who is this kook?" Sora said.

"Remember, the Organization's made up of Nobodies." Goofy said.

"Right- no hearts!"

Demyx turned his upper body towards us. "Oh, we do too have hearts! Don't be mad..."

"You can't trick us!" Donald said.

"Why should we listen to someone like you?!" I said. "You and the Organization are empty shells doomed to do nothing but remember!"

Demyx turned back around for a moment. When he turned back around, his lips curled up into a sinister smile. He actually looked... scary. He pointed at me and Sora.

"Silence, traitors." He said, his voice low and ominous.

Sora and I looked at Demyx with baffled expressions. Water rose up from the ground around Demyx. He shot his hand up and a dome of water formed. The water morphed into a single large ball, then it burst and turned into his sitar. He grabbed it by the handle, spun it around, and stared at us with a maniacal smile.

I have to admit; Demyx is a really good fighter. He summoned pillars of water with the strum of his sitar that blasted us all over yet didn't leave us wet. Every now and then he summoned his water minions and we only had a few seconds to get rid of them. But in the end, he was no match for us.

Demyx stumbled back and panted. His sitar disappeared. He cried out and fell to his knees and disappeared in a column of darkness.

"Anyone from the Organization who'd like to be next?!" Sora called.

"Hey, Sora! Don't antagonize them!" Donald said.

"Yeah, we gotta go help our friends out first." Goofy said.

"Oh. Sorry." Sora said, scratching the back of his head.

"Then let's go!" Donald said.

"Aha! There you are!" a voice cried.

We turned around and saw King Mickey walk towards us. He stopped in front of us with his arms crossed and scowled. We stood around sheepishly. Mickey's scowl faded and he smiled.

"You sure have lotsa friends to help." Mickey said.

We looked at him and smiled in relief.

"So, I guess we better all pull together and finish this battle for good!" Mickey said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" we all cried, standing at attention.

As Mickey began to walk away, I heard an explosion above us. I looked up to see giant rocks from the cliff above fall towards us. One in particular headed straight for Mickey.

Goofy noticed it sooner.

"Look out!" he cried.

He shoved Mickey out of the way right as the rock smashed into his face. The impact sent him flying backwards, slamming his head into the wall.

"Goofy!" Sora cried.

We all ran to his side. He laid there limply on the ground.

"No..." Mickey whispered.

"Goofy! Wake up!" I said.

"Hey! You're the King's Captain! You gotta get up!" Donald cried, shaking him vigorously.

"C'mon, wake up!" Sora said.

"I'm sorry about the ice cream!"

"Goofy..." I whispered.

Donald squawked in despair and laid his head on Goofy's chest. "Goofy..."

"This is not happening. It can't be happening..." Sora said. "It can't..."

I clenched my fist as tears streaked down my face.

"They'll pay for this." Mickey said.

I looked up to see Mickey reach up and yank off his cloak, revealing clothing that looked similar to Sora's. Mickey summoned his Keyblade, Kingdom Key D, and took off through the Castle Gates. Donald let out a ferocious squawk and stormed off behind Mickey. Sora looked down at Goofy and clenched his fists.

"Let's go." I said.

Sora nodded and we summoned Kingdom Key and Chaos Ripper. We ran off, leaving Goofy's body behind.

* * *

><p>We charged down the Ravine Trail. Each platform had an ambush of Heartless waiting for us, but we received help from Yuffie, Leon, Tifa, and Cloud. We ran into the Crystal Fissure and reassembled with Mickey and Donald. I leaned on my Keyblade and caught my breath.<p>

"Are you guys okay?" Mickey said.

"Yeah, we're fine, but..." Sora said.

"Ohh, Goofy..." Donald said.

We all bowed our heads in silence.

"Hey, fellas!" a voice called that made everyone turned around in astonishment.

Goofy stood a ways away from us, waving with a big grin on his face.

"Goofy!" we all cried.

Goofy came running over to us.

"Ya know, that really hurt!" Goofy said, rubbing his head.

"Aw, Goofy!" Mickey cried, jumping up and hugging Goofy.

"Gawrsh, Yer Majesty, I get bumped on the head all the time."

Sora and I laughed in relief. Donald scowled and stomped over to Goofy. He took his staff and bashed it against Goofy's ankle, letting out a furious squawk. Goofy cried out and held his ankle.

"That hurt, too!" Goofy whimpered.

Donald let out a frustrated growl. "Don't you ever do that again!"

Sora sighed and we looked towards The Great Maw.

"The battle isn't over yet." I said quietly. "But we're gonna end it now."

* * *

><p>We ran into The Great Maw. We came to a skidded halt at the sight of thousands of Armored Knights and Surveillance Robots. However, they were frozen in place and as still as statues.<p>

"Huh?" Mickey said.

"What's with them?" Sora said.

"They look like they're... waiting for something." I said.

"Hey!" Goofy called, pointing up.

We looked and saw a portal of darkness appear at the edge of a cliff. An Organization member stood, cloaked completely in black. He reached up and removed his hood, revealing a man with tan skin, amber eyes, and long silver hair styled with spikes at the top of his head. He turned to us and grinned. My scowl turned into confused curiosity.

"It's the guy who's NOT Ansem!" Donald said.

"You mean it's his Nobody!" Goofy said.

"The leader of Organization XIII..." Sora growled.

"Wait a minute. Now I know!" Mickey cried. "Now I remember! Xehanort! Ansem's apprentice! The leader of Organization XIII is Xehanort's Nobody!"

Mickey summoned his Keyblade and charged for the member.

"Xeha... nort?" I said.

Pain flooded my brain, as if someone took all the brain shocks from Olympus Coliseum, shoved them into my head, and multiplied it by five. I screamed and clutched my head. My legs softened to jelly and I collapsed on my knees.

"Hallie!" Sora cried, answered by another blood-curdling scream.

My head pounded and my breathing turned heavy.

_"Let all that anger out... Give your heart over to darkness!"_

_"Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you!"_

_"Let your whole heart blacken with anger!"_

_"And now it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!"_

"NOOO!" I cried.

The pain stopped abruptly. I fell back onto my butt and panted. My right arm felt numb and my body trembled.

_Finally. _a voice echoed in my mind, followed by a mischievous giggle. I gasped and scooted back in fright, but all I saw were Sora, Donald, and Goofy standing around me.

"Hallie, are you all right?" Goofy said.

"I... I think so." I mumbled groggily.

I shook my head and the three boys helped me up.

"Let's go!" Sora said.

Suddenly, the Heartless moved and surrounded us until we were in a thick sea of darkness. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades and we stared down our enemies.

"Move it!" Sora cried.

"We can't let Xehanort get away!" Donald said. A flash of pain echoed in my brain, but it felt like a gentle tap compared to what I just suffered.

Donald and Goofy gave us a thumbs up and charged towards the Heartless.

"Sora, we'll have to split up." I said.

"What? But-" Sora said.

I reached out and put a hand on his arm. "I'll be fine." I said. "But Hollow Bastion needs us."

Sora glanced at my hand then back at me. I nodded and smiled. He nodded back. We turned around, Keyblades in hand, and ran into the sea of Heartless. Something familiar to what I felt back in Olympus Coliseum sparked inside of me. I slashed through Heartless after Heartless. Thoughts zoomed through my mind and I tried to shut them off to focus on what was happening before me. However, they were relentless.

_So Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody want nothing more than to gain control of Kingdom Hearts. Man, I would hate to meet the real guy..._

_Kingdom Hearts. What is it about the name that sets me off so easily?_

_Who was that boy I saw back in Twilight Town? I've never met him before... that is, I don't think I have. He looked my age. Maybe he's someone from my forgotten past. But what I felt... my heart races at the thought of him. How could a complete stranger make me feel that way?_

_That darkness... what other kinds of scary things are hidden inside me?_

It took me a while to realize that the area around me was vacant. I had laid waste to all the Heartless once before me. How many did I fight? It felt like a thousand. I ran through The Great Maw, where Sora, Donald, and Goofy waited for me at the end.

"How'd you manage?" Sora said.

"It was easy." I said, stretching my arms. "Where's the King?"

"There he is!" Donald cried.

We watched Mickey destroy an Armored Knight.

"C'mon!" Sora said.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The struggle is definitely real, both internal and external. Sora, Donald, and Goofy come to the realization that the man they fought long ago, Ansem, was actually the Heartless of the man who desired to take over Kingdom Hearts. The information tearing at Hallie finally causes her to snap, and suddenly a terrible darkness escapes from her. She runs away, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy chase after her. Sora's compassion brings Hallie to her senses, and now they must work together to protect Hollow Bastion from being consumed in darkness again. Mickey finally reveals important information to Hallie: he's waited for her for ten years, just like Yen Sid, and her life is tied deeply to many as a guardian of light. They battle and defeat Demyx, but Goofy sacrifices himself for King Mickey, but he actually was just bumped pretty hard on the head. The intense battle that's been hanging over them reaches its climax. The gang encounters the leader of Organization XIII, who once belonged to someone named Xehanort. Hallie is deeply affected by it, and the rush of questions returns once again. She battles against 1000 Heartless with ease, reunites with her friends, and they go to find Mickey. But the confusion remains.**

**What kind of intense past did Hallie have?**

**Stay tuned and thanks for reading!**


	24. You Understand Nothing

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**

"Your Majesty!" Donald called.

We ran up to Mickey at the cliff. Standing before him was Xehanort's Nobody.

"Xehanort!" Mickey cried.

"How long has it been since I abandoned that name..." the Organization member said.

"Out with it, Nobody! Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?!" Sora said.

"I know nothing of any Kairi. As for Riku..." Xehanort turned around. "Perhaps you should ask your king."

Sora looked to Mickey. Mickey scowled.

"Who... are you?" I said.

Xehanort looked right at me and grinned.

"It was a pleasure to see you again, Hallie."

"Huh?!" I said, stepping back.

Xehanort stepped back into a portal of darkness.

"Stop!" Mickey cried.

Xehanort disappeared into the portal, and Mickey lunged in after him.

"Mickey!" I cried.

We ran forward, but the portal disappeared.

"He's gone..." Sora said.

He fell back onto his butt and slammed the ground with his fist. Goofy laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Sora, Goofy, Hallie..." Donald said.

He squawked and leaned forward. I looked and gasped. The Great Maw, which was once completely blackened by Heartless, was now empty.

"What's goin' on?" Goofy said.

"We... we did it?" I said.

"Way to fall right into their trap." a voice said.

We turned to see an Organization member with emerald eyes and spiky red hair leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. We ran forward with our weapons and struck our battle stances.

"Axel." I said. My tone sounded more curious than angry.

The man spent a few more moments staring at me before he stood up and walked towards us.

"Glad to know you got that memorized." Axel said. "C'mon, it's a set-up by Organization XIII. Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless- that's his big master plan."

"Xemnas?" Donald said.

"The guy you just saw. He's their leader. Got it memorized? X-E-M, N-A-S."

We looked at him quizzically.

"Organization XIII wants to get rid of the Heartless?" Goofy said.

"Man, you're slow." Axel chuckled. He pointed at mine and Sora's Keyblades. "Every Heartless slain with those Keyblades releases a captive heart. That is what the Organization is after."

"So what are those guys gonna do with the hearts?" Donald said.

"I'm not telling."

"Tell us!"

Something in Sora's mind clicked and his grip on his Keyblade tightened. "_You_... you're the one who kidnapped Kairi!" he said.

"Bingo. The girl's right. The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel said.

"Where _is_ Kairi?"

Axel's face fell and he scratched his temple.

"Please. Just tell me!" Sora pleaded.

Axel placed his hands on his hips and sighed. "Look, about Kairi... I'm sorry."

"But you're a member of the Organization, too. Why are you telling us all of this? Why are you rebelling against the Organization?" Axel's cool composure faltered. My anger converted to genuine curiosity. I felt like this was the only Organization XIII member I didn't despise. "What are you really after?"

"Axel!" another voice said.

Saix appeared in front of us.

"Uh-oh!" Axel cried.

"Wait, Axel!" I said suddenly. I stopped myself and my hand flew to my lips.

He disappeared in a portal of darkness. Sora ran forward, but Saix reached his arm out and blocked Sora's path.

"We'll ensure he receives the maximum punishment." Saix said.

"I don't care about any of that! Just let me into the realm of darkness, okay?!" Sora said.

"If it's Kairi you're worried about, don't. We're taking very good care of her."

"Take me to her."

"Is she that important to you?"

"Yeah. More than anything."

"Show me how important."

Sora stood there for a moment, bowing his head. Then, slowly, he got down on his hands and knees.

"Please." Sora said.

"So, you really do care for her." Saix said.

"Sora..." I said.

"In that case- the answer is no."

Sora jumped back with a ferocious scowl. "You rotten...!"

"Are you angry? Do you hate me?" Saix said. "Then take that rage, and direct it at the Heartless."

Saix snapped his fingers and Armored Knights appeared. He raised his hands and tilted his head up to the sky.

"Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. And yet they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free..." Saix said.

"Until you come along and take them. Then you'll finally be able to create your precious little Kingdom Hearts." I hissed.

"Correct, child." Saix said. "And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."

"What in the world do you think you're prattling on about?" a female voice said.

A pillar of green fire appeared behind us and Maleficent appeared.

"Kingdom Hearts belong to me!" she said. "The heart of all kingdoms, the heart of all that lives. A dominion fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be MY dominion!"

"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" I yelled. "You feckless neophytes! Your pitiful lusts SICKEN me! None of you know what you are up against! Kingdom Hearts is not something you can just take. Only the best can wield its power and wisdom!"

Saix stared at me with an unreadable grin.

"You were raised well. You are smarter than I thought you were." Saix said. "However, you understand nothing at all..."

I growled and gripped Chaos Ripper.

"Ah, ah, ah..." Saix said. "You should consider being nice to me. Don't you wish to know the whereabouts of Callum?"

My heart stopped and I almost dropped my Keyblade. Why does he know Callum? Why does _everyone_ know about him?

"Hallie...?" Sora said.

I screamed in frustration and charged towards Saix. He disappeared into a portal of darkness, and I dove in after him.

"HALLIE!" Sora, Donald and Goofy cried as the portal disappeared.

* * *

><p>I woke up in a large purple prison cell. I jumped to my feet and ran to the barred window.<p>

"Get me out of here!" I cried.

A portal of darkness appeared on the other side of the cell. Saix emerged from the portal and smirked.

"Hello again." he said. "I trust you're comfy?"

"How do you know Callum?" I said. "How do you know about me? What _are_ you people?!"

"It's just as I stated before..." Saix said as he disappeared into a portal of darkness. "You understand nothing."

"Wait!"

I sighed and slumped down onto the ground.

"What am I going to do?" I mumbled into my hands.

I don't know how long I sat there- seconds, minutes, hours- until I heard a strange warping sound. I turned around and saw a portal of darkness churning on the wall. A person, cloaked in black, stood in the portal. He appeared much younger compared to the other members I've seen.

"Who are you?" I said, slowly standing up.

My fingers twitched, ready to summon my Keyblade. The boy reached out his hand to me. I slowly walked towards the boy. I gazed into the black hole of his cloak. His hand remained patiently stretched out. I reached up and took his hand. The boy wrapped his fingers around my hand gently and pulled me into the portal.

* * *

><p>I didn't know where the muted boy led me to, but I didn't bother to ask. All I could see were gray and white colors and patterns along the floors, the walls, everything. It was a strange relief when black and dark blue came in and flushed out the white and gray. I turned around and gasped when I saw we stood next to a cliff. Above us, a giant white castle loomed over us that sent chills up my spine. I turned to the cloaked boy.<p>

"Thank you, whoever you are." I said. "Are you a member of Organization XIII?"

The faceless black cloak gaped at me.

"Are you... Roxas?"

More silence. The boy placed his hands on his hips and sighed. I scowled.

"Who are you?!" I said, clenching my fists. I summoned Chaos Ripper and pointed it at the boy. "Answer me!"

"I'm disappointed." the boy said. His voice sent a wave of frisson through my body. "After all this time, you've forgotten about me."

The boy reached up and took off his hood. He had short, messy brown hair with some resting on his forehead. Amusement twinkled in his amber eyes. He smiled at me.

Chaos Ripper fell out of my hand. It landed on the ground with a loud clang, bouncing off the ground a few times before disappearing. I let out a choked cry and flung my arms around the boy.

"_Callum!_" I wept. "It's you! It's really you!"

Callum laughed and returned the hug. "I missed you, too."

"I've been looking for you for... for so long! For _four years_!" I said. "Why?! Why did you leave?!"

"I had to."

"Huh?" I pulled back and wiped away my tears. "What do you mean?"

"I... had some troubles when I was with you." He noticed the look of horror on my face. "I-I don't mean it like that. I... was having troubles with the darkness."

"What?" I said. _Just like Riku..._

Callum raised his hands a little and stared at them.

"The darkness... it began to seize my heart. I tried to ignore it, but it... grew stronger... I was afraid that if I didn't do anything, I would end up hurting you." he said.

_That sounds awfully familiar..._

"You would never do that." I said, placing my hand over his.

"That's what I thought, but I didn't want to risk anything... so I... left."

Callum's hesitated explanation and refusal to meet my eyes unsettled me.

"Have you been here this entire time?" I said.

"Most of my time, yes." Callum said.

I reached out and took Callum's hands in mine. "I'm just happy that I found you."

Callum looked up and smiled. "Besides, I want to hear the stories you've got. You know, making the Nobodies and Heartless cower and quake from the power of your Keyblade and sarcasm."

I laughed. "It's like you were there." I said. I gasped. "Wait a minute! Where are my friends? Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

"It's okay." Callum said. "I know a shortcut."

Callum snapped his fingers and a portal of darkness appeared behind him. I gave him an uneasy look to match the feeling that churned in my stomach.

"It's all right." Callum said, reaching his hand out to me.

This time, I didn't hesitate to take it. The feeling of his fingers intertwined with mine filled my heart with courage. We walked into the portal.

* * *

><p>"Maybe everything we've done... Maybe it was all for nothing." a voice said. "What am I supposed to do if I can't use the Keyblade?!"<p>

"Sora." I said.

"We're close." Callum said.

"Wait... my friends are... here?"

We wondered among the Corridors of Darkness, Callum told me. Everything was black and void and it brought back very unpleasant feelings and recollections.

"How in the world did _they_ end up _here_?" I said.

"That... I don't know..." Callum said.

"Kairi! Riku!" I heard Sora's voice. It sounded close.

"Sora!" I called.

It was silent for a moment.

"Hallie?!" Donald cried in disbelief.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" I called.

I let go of Callum's hand and ran forward.

"H-Hey!" Callum cried.

I saw a tiny speck in the distance. As it grew bigger and developed more distinct colors and features, I ran faster.

"Guys!" I said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned around. When they saw me, they smiled.

"Hallie!" the three cried.

Donald ran towards me and jumped up to hug me. I laughed.

"I missed you too, Donald." I said.

Callum ran up beside me. He leaned over and tried to catch his breath.

"Man..." he said. "I don't recall you being able to run this fast."

"The Organization!" Donald cried.

He leaped off of me and the three boys drew out their weapons.

"Wait!" I cried, jumping in front of Callum with my arms stretched out to the side. "He's not an Organization member. He's my friend."

"Huh?"

I stepped to the side.

"Guys, this is Callum." I said. "Callum, this is Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

"Hiya." Callum said, waving awkwardly.

"Ohh..." Sora said, dispelling his Keyblade. He walked up to Callum. "So this is Callum..."

"I see you've mentioned me." Callum said.

"Um... maybe once." I said, blushing and holding my hands together behind me.

"You know, you guys kind of look alike." Sora said, looking between the two of us.

"Really? I've never noticed that before..." Callum said.

"Hey, look!" Donald cried.

We looked to see another man cloaked in black standing with a white box.

"Who's there?!" Donald said.

The man set the box down and disappeared in a portal of darkness. Donald ran over and picked up the box.

"Are ya sure you wanna open..." Goofy said. Donald opened the box. "...that?"

Donald reached inside and pulled out a photo. He handed it to Sora. I looked over his shoulder to take a closer look at it.

"Gawrsh, it's the gang from Twilight Town. There's Hayner, Pence, Olette... and uh, um..." Goofy said.

I stared at the boy standing next to Hayner and Pence. It wasn't who I saw at Twilight Town, but he looked exactly like him, with the exception of slightly different clothing. But I recognize those ocean blue eyes anywhere.

"Roxas." Sora and I said. We looked at each other in surprise.

"You know him?" Donald said.

"No... the name just popped into my head..." Sora said.

"Me too." I said. "_This_ is Roxas."

Donald pulled out a light blue ice cream bar.

"Are ya sure you wanna eat..." Goofy said. Donald chomped down on the ice cream bar. "...that?"

"Salty... No... sweet!" Donald gushed.

Suddenly, the ice cream bar flashed with light and lifted up from Donald's hand into the air. Sora and I looked at each other. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.

"Hey, Sora..." I said.

"Yeah?" Sora said.

"Can I, um... hang on to that photo?"

"Sure."

Sora handed me the photo and I looked at it.

"How come you want it?" Sora said.

"I don't know... just this feeling I have." I said. "I want to return it."

"Okay, then. The next time we stop by Twilight Town, you can give it back to Hayner, Pence, and Olette."

"Right... Okay."

But I wasn't talking about them.

* * *

><p>"A photo and some ice cream? Hmm. Wonder if they're some sorta clue? And who woulda left 'em for us, anyway?" Goofy said once we were back on the Gummi Ship.<p>

"Riku?" Sora speculated.

"Ya think?"

"Just this feeling I got."

"Look! We're almost there!" Donald said.

Sora turned to me. "What if the Heartless are back again? We can't use the Keyblade- that would only help the Organization."

"But if we don't use the Keyblades, the Heartless will hurt people and worlds." I said. "I don't think we have any choice... We have to protect our friends."

Sora bowed his head and gripped the steering wheel. Something clicked inside of me.

_Demyx once mentioned Roxas before... and... something about a traitor? Axel's a Nobody, and he's rebelling against the Organization. Maybe Roxas was a Nobody, too? But... Demyx also mentioned Callum... No, what am I thinking? Crazy talk, that's what it is. Still... this Roxas boy. Demyx called Sora that name back at Olympus Coliseum. Several times, in fact. Does that mean...?_

I shook my head and walked out of the control room. The door to Sora's room opened and Callum stepped out. His black cloak laid on the extra bed. He wore a fitted maroon shirt with a crew neckline that hugged his body and showed off his muscular biceps and torso, black pleated flared pants, and black boots. He had a black ring on his left hand's ring finger with connected thin brown cords wrapped around his toned arm, all the way to his elbow. Two golden belts crisscrossed into an X across his chest and around the waist of his pants, and more gold lined the bottom rim of his boots. The toes of his boots curled up slightly.

"How do I look?" Callum said, stretching his arms out to his sides.

"Um..." I mumbled, trying to keep the fire in my cheeks to a light simmer. "Nice."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie, her friends, and Mickey meet Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII, who reveals to Sora that Mickey knows something about the whereabouts of Riku. Before he could find out more, Xemnas disappears in a portal of darkness, and Mickey dives in after him. Axel appears and tells Sora and Hallie that their fight against the Heartless was a trap set by the Organization. Saix steps in and Axel flees. Sora pleads for the way into the Organization's world, but Saix refuses and unleashes Heartless on him. Maleficent, as well, steps in and the gang is surrounded by bad guys. As Hallie tries to defend her and her friends, Saix reveals that he knows where Callum is. Blinded by rage, Hallie chases Saix into a portal of darkness, leaving her friends behind to face Maleficent. Hallie awakes in a prison, but is rescued by a mysterious boy. After they escape, the boy reveals himself to be Callum, and Hallie is finally reunited with her best friend. Callum and Hallie enter the Corridors of Darkness and find Sora, Donald, and Goofy inside. As they try to comprehend what happened, a man in a black cloak leaves behind a box filled with clues, including a photo with the mysterious Roxas in it. Hollow Bastion is saved, but Sora and Hallie are torn with using the Keyblade, either way putting their friends at risk and providing help to the Organization.**

**Why does it seem like Hallie has a connection to almost all the members of Organization XIII? Will the pieces missing from her past ever be put back together?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	25. Welcoming Committee

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**

The male personage walked along the now empty Great Maw. Each step he took left a smoking imprint in the ground that churned with darkness as black as his bodysuit.

"I must say..." he said to himself. "An amateur that she is, she did somewhat well at this."

A portal of darkness appeared next to him. The male personage summoned his Keyblade, Void Gear, ready to pounce on whoever lurked on the other side of the portal, but when they stepped out, he lowered his Keyblade and dispelled it. A girl sauntered out of the portal. She placed her hands on her hips and smirked as the portal behind her disappeared.

Her straight blond hair was cut short into a bob. Her bangs rested on her forehead and swept to the right with some hair falling loosely into her eyes and along the sides of her face. Her blood red eyes sparkled mischievously with a sinister twist, like a defiant child's. She wore a black sleeveless halter top with two red belts around her waist crisscrossed into an X, and a black leather choker collar with two chains connecting to a heart with a lock in the middle. She wore a long black sweeper with red interior and feathery detailing around the collar. She wore a black lacy skirt and her legs were covered in sheer, black stockings decorated with red Heartless symbols, leaving a section of her midthighs bare. She wore black ankle boots on her feet and a long black glove on her right arm that extended to her bicep and had dark red feathery detailing around her wrist and at the end. A small red heart clip pinned back some hair on the left side of her head. A silver chain rested underneath her choker collar on her decolletage, but there was no charm attached to it.

The male personage stared at the girl. He chuckled.

"Took you long enough." he said, crossing his arms.

"Is that anyway to greet me?" the girl said, leaning forward towards the boy. "Here I am, having been trapped in that rotten prison for what, seven years? And I come back to no welcoming committee, no fireworks display? Not even a simple hello? I'm rather disappointed in you."

She flashed him a cheeky grin and the boy remained silent.

"I see you had no problem breaking away." she said. "Believe me, I would have come busting out much sooner, but those stupid friends of hers are relentless, all about "fighting for what's right" and "protecting the light" and "the power of friendship". Ugh, just put me out of my misery now! It wasn't until Xemnas came along and she finally snapped like a twig. But oh boy, am I glad to be back!"

A Shadow Heartless emerged from the ground. The girl crouched down and petted its head. The Shadow purred and stroked its antennae against her leg. The girl scooped the Heartless into her arms.

"At least Veni gives me the proper welcome." She lifted the Heartless to her face and Eskimo-kissed it. She felt the continuing glare of the boy on her and she turned back to him. "Well?"

"I'm... really glad to see you." the boy said.

The girl giggled. "I'm glad to see you, too. You have no idea. Now, will you take off that darn helmet? I haven't seen your face in so long, and I'm tired of seeing that stupid Keyblade boy's face whenever I tried to think of you."

The boy chuckled again. His helmet began to melt away. As it did, the girl's smile widened. Veni squirmed in her arms, but she held it tight to her chest.

"See? Much better." the girl said.

The boy looked at the girl with a bitter smile that showed small glimpses of tenderness. His yellow eyes had a similar mischievous twinkle in them as hers, but also with a sense of relief. His black hair maintained its spikiness, despite having it smushed under a helmet for who knows how long.

"So, how's Mr. Bossman been, Spike?" the girl said.

"Why don't you ask him that yourself?" the boy said. "And I have a name."

"Yes, I know..." the girl stepped closer. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "...Vanitas."

Veni the Shadow wriggled out of the girl's arms and disappeared into the darkness. Vanitas laced his arm around the girl's waist and pulled her closer. He stretched out his other hand and a portal of darkness appeared.

"What? Right now? Hello? Trapped for _seven years_?" the girl said. "Can't I spend some time with you before he drowns me in missions?"

The girl pouted and crossed her arms.

"Later, after you've swam to shore." Vanitas said. "C'mon, 'Mr. Bossman' is waiting for us, and I'm sure he's dying to hear the stories you have."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Vanitas has returned?! And he has a lady friend (ahem).**

**But _what_****** in the world was that girl talking about? And who is she? What trouble could this sinister duo have up their sleeve for Hallie and Sora in the future?****

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	26. Doused in Gasoline

**CHAPTER TWENTY SIX**

Seeing the desolate ruins of the mountain village brought back that sense of remorse. We walked through its charred remains.

"I wonder how everyone's doin'?" Goofy said.

"Look!" Donald cried.

Standing at the mountain foot, we saw a man in a black coat. He turned around and looked at us before taking off into the mountain.

"Wait!" Sora cried.

"Sora!" We turned around to see Mulan running up to us.

"Mulan, hey. No time to talk. We gotta catch that guy!"

"I'm following him, too."

"Then let's go!" Donald said.

* * *

><p>We walked up to the mountain ridge and looked around. Mulan tapped on Sora's shoulder and pointed forward. The mysterious man ran up the mountain. We ran up to the summit, but he was gone.<p>

"Looks like he got away." Mulan said.

"Why were you following him, anyways?" I asked.

"Do you know him?"

"He's a member of Organization XIII." Callum said.

"One of the bad guys!" Donald cried, crossing his arms.

"I knew it! There's a rumor in the Imperial City about a spy in black, lurking in the mountains." Mulan said. "I'd been up here tracking him, but when you arrived, I lost him."

"Aw..." Sora said.

"Sorry." I said.

Mulan smiled. "Don't apologize. But I do wonder where he went."

We looked around, but there was nothing but mountain and snow. I heard a strange warping sound coming from the hill crest above us. As I stared up at it, there was a loud chirping noise and a wave of Rapid Thrusters emerged from the hill crest and made their way towards us.

"Again?!" Donald said.

"No problem." I said. "We did this before, we can do it again."

As Donald, Goofy, Mulan, and Callum ran towards the Heartless, I heard something behind me. I turned and the mysterious man stood there. Sora saw him too.

"Hey, you!" Sora cried. "Quit sneaking around!"

The mysterious man raised his hand and pointed at Sora. Sora looked at him quizzically. He looked behind us and gasped.

"Look out, Hallie!" Sora cried.

I turned around as a group of Rapid Thrusters came at us. I summoned Chaos Ripper and leaped up into the air. When a Rapid Thruster was parallel with me, I slashed it downward in the rear, flipped forward, and landed crouched on one knee. The Rapid Thruster zoomed forward, past the mysterious man and into the misty fog. I turned around and struck my battle stance. Sora and I fought against the mysterious man, who summoned a strange Keyblade of his own, Way to the Dawn, while also fending ourselves against the Rapid Thrusters. After a minute or so, the mysterious man jumped back and stood there, staring at us. He gestured with his arm in a way that I didn't understand and he took off down the mountain.

"Wait!" Sora cried.

We ran forward a few steps before pausing.

"That Keyblade..." Sora said.

"Sora?" I said.

"That guy... why... would he?" he said. "Riku?"

Sora ran forward to the summit top and stopped, looking down the mountain.

"You think that was Riku?" I said as I approached Sora.

"I recognize that Keyblade anywhere..." Sora said. "But, why would he dress like the Organization?"

"I don't know..."

The others came up to us.

"Sora? Did ya get 'im?" Goofy said.

"Hmm... Oh- he's gone." Sora said. He turned around and scratched the back of his head.

"What?! You lost him?" Donald said.

"Sorry, we kind of had that army of Heartless to deal with." I said.

"Anyway... what now?" Sora said.

"I think that we better get rid of all the Heartless first." Goofy said.

Donald nodded and all of a sudden, the mountain began to rumble violently.

"Another avalanche?!" I cried.

The rumbling stopped.

"What was that?" Mulan said. "Come on, we better get off the mountain."

We walked over to the mountain path. I turned around to see Sora looking at the empty space of snow.

"Sora?" I said.

He shook his head and looked at me.

"I'm fine." Sora said.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble again. A spot in the mountain exploded, spraying snow down on us. Out from the snow emerged a Storm Rider. It let out a roar. We took out our weapons, ready to fight. The Storm Rider flew out of the mountains and towards the Imperial City.

"It's heading for the city!" Mulan cried. "We've got to warn Shang!"

* * *

><p>We entered the palace courtyard, but it was quiet and empty.<p>

"Huh? Everything's fine." Sora said.

"Well, now..." a voice said.

Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po walked up to us. I scowled and crossed my arms.

"Look who decided to show up." Yao said.

"What? Is that a problem?" Donald said.

"Nah!" Ling said.

"We're just glad you're not in black cloaks." Chien-Po said.

"Black cloaks?" I said. "Did you see the mysterious man?"

"Yeah- he's in the palace." Yao said.

We ran towards the palace, but were stopped by Assault Riders and Bolt Towers. We took them out and ran over to the palace. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran to the palace door and pounded their fists against it, trying to get it open.

"Open up!" Sora cried.

Sora grabbed the palace knocker and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Over here!" Mulan said.

We followed her to one of the pillars. Sora, Donald, and Goofy didn't hesitate as they ran forward and jumped onto the pillar.

"You want us to climb THIS?" Callum said.

"Do you have any other idea?" I said as I jumped onto the pillar and started climbing.

We climbed to the top of the pillar and into the palace ceiling beams. Down the hallway at the doors into the palace room was a man wearing a black cloak. We jumped down from the ceiling, trying to be quiet, but Donald lost his balance and fell to the ground. We ran towards the man.

"Wait!" Mulan cried.

The man stopped and turned around.

This man was different than the one we saw in the mountains. His cloak's shoulders were more pointed, the sleeves were more fitted, and his body build was skinnier.

Sora didn't seem to notice. He stepped forward.

"...Riku?" Sora said.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other. The man reached up and took off his hood.

I think if I ever saw this Riku, I'm sure he wouldn't look like this guy. This man had golden yellow eyes, pointed elf-like ears, and long black hair with gray streaks tied back into a ponytail. He wore a black eye patch on his right eye and his left cheek sported a jagged scar. The man smirked.

"Nope, never heard of him." the man laughed.

That voice. I recognized it. I stepped back next to Callum, who locked himself in a staring contest with the man with paled skin and fear in his eyes. The Organization member smirked.

Sniper Nobodies surrounded us. I looked to the doors, but the man wasn't there. I heard a tinkling sound and I turned to see the man running for the palace doors.

"Hey, wait!" I cried.

The man turned back and flashed a sinister grin at me.

"Catch'ya later, Hallie!" the man said as he summoned a portal of darkness and disappeared.

I gasped. That was the same Organization member from when I first came to Hollow Bastion.

_Xigbar._ The name sent a rush of burning hatred down my spine.

"Why does everyone in the Organization know my name?!" I cried.

I clenched my fist and summoned Chaos Ripper. The Snipers raised their bows and shot at us. Sora and I zoomed forward, causing the shots to stop in their place, and we kicked them with our feet towards the Snipers, taking them out one by one. I looked over to Callum and I gasped. He swerved around a Sniper and raised his weapon to the Sniper: a Keyblade.

_Omega Weapon. Why in the world does Callum have a Keyblade?_

The Sniper whirled around, took its bow and slammed it Callum's chest. He flew back and sprawled against the ground.

"Callum!" I cried.

I leaped forward and onto the back of the Sniper. I took Chaos Ripper and stabbed the Sniper in the chest. I yanked Chaos Ripper out, grabbed the Nobody by the head, and flipped over. As I flipped, I chucked the Nobody at the wall and it disintegrated as soon as it hit the wall. I landed on one knee and stood up. I breathed heavily and turned to Callum. For a moment, I thought he was staring at me, but tracing his eyes, I found that he was staring at my Keyblade.

"Where did you... get that?" Callum said. His tone wasn't so much curious, but more frightened.

"I've had this since... um, I can't remember." I said, holding out Chaos Ripper. Callum scooted away. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh... no, no..." Callum scrambled to his feet.

I dispelled my Keyblade, placed my hands on my hips and leaned forward towards him.

"So, when were you going to tell me that YOU had a Keyblade?" I said. "And do you have any idea who that Organization member was? Your face sure said so."

"Oh, uh..." Callum said, looking away. "He's a creature of the darkness; an empty abyss of nothing. He and the other members want to form their own Kingdom Hearts and destroy the worlds! Aren't _you_ afraid of him?"

I stared at him in disbelief before turning my attention to the others.

"Guess it wasn't Riku." Goofy said.

Sora crossed his arms and looked at the floor.

"Sorry, Sora." I said. "I know you were hoping..."

"It's all right." Sora said.

"I can't stay. I'm worried about Shang." Mulan said.

"Oh! Right!"

I hesitated and watched Callum as everyone ran to the doors.

Organization XIII wants to create another Kingdom Hearts? I didn't know that. And I never told Callum about the Organization's plan. How does he know?

* * *

><p>We ran into the palace room. The Emperor sat in his throne and Shang stood next to him.<p>

"Your Excellency! Shang! Something terrible has happened!" Mulan said. "We saw a huge monster fly out of the mountains and toward the city!"

"Ahh. So it is as the young man said." The Emperor said. "Isn't that right, Captain?"

"Y-yes, Your Excellency." Shang said.

"Young man? What young man?" I said.

"You see, a young stranger visited us not long ago." The Emperor said. "The Captain fought the visitor, but was quickly defeated."

Shang bowed his head. "To my dishonor."

"It seems that young man was the one in black that I have heard whispers about."

"Did he mention the name Riku?" Sora said.

"He didn't offer his name. He was rather rude."

"Rude? Then it WAS Riku!"

"Riku's in the Organization?" Donald whispered.

"Gawrsh..." Goofy said.

"There must be a reason why." I said.

"But why would he come here?" Mulan said.

Sora crossed his arms. The room suddenly rumbled violently.

"We'll check outside." Mulan said.

"Mulan!" Shang said as we turned around to leave.

"Shang- guard the Emperor! I'll be fine- with them!"

"Th-that's right!" Sora said.

"Don't worry, you're in good hands!" I said, giving Shang a thumbs up.

"Indeed." The Emperor said. "That is true: We need not worry while you protect us."

"Hurry!" Donald squawked impatiently behind us.

* * *

><p>Mulan and I pushed the palace door open. Suddenly, the Storm Rider appeared at the door and roared. We screamed and backed away. Callum put his hand on my shoulder for assurance. I nodded and we ran outside. The Storm Rider glided through the air above us. As we watched it, the Heartless turned around and dove down towards us. We jumped out of the way as it flew low to the ground.<p>

"Guys, come on!" Sora cried.

We ran after the Storm Rider and one-by-one grabbed onto its tail and climbed on its back. Its horns sparked with electricity. We attacked it until it let out a roar.

"You might want to hang on to something!" Sora called.

He clung himself onto one of the spikes that ran down the Storm Rider's back. I cried out as the Heartless prepared itself to spin. I felt a hand grab my arm. Sora pulled me over to him and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist. As the Storm Rider flipped upside down, I screamed as I felt my legs dangle in the air. I watched everyone else fall from the Storm Rider's back and land on the ground using the mini wind tornados. Once the Storm Rider finished its tumbling, I let go and summoned Chaos Ripper back to my side. With a grunt, I swung my Keyblade and cut a section of the Storm Rider's horn clean off. The Storm Rider let out another roar as his severed horn fell to the ground and disappeared.

"Now you made him angry!" Sora said.

Electric sparks exploded around us. Some of them accidentally struck the Heartless it created. We attacked the other horn. The Storm Rider let out another "GET OFF OF ME" roar. We repeated the routine: Sora holding onto the horn and me holding onto him. The Storm Rider flipped upside down. When it was right-side up again, I let go.

"Wait, Hallie!" Sora cried.

"Huh?" I said.

The Storm Rider flipped over again. Sora shot out his hand, just missing mine, and grabbed the leather cords on my arm.

My body filled with a burning pain, like my insides were doused in gasoline and lit them on fire. I clawed at my arm, screaming bloody murder. Sora widened his eyes in horror. I summoned Chaos Ripper in my left hand. I took the butt of my Keyblade and smashed it into Sora's hand. He cried out and let go of me. I fell to the ground, landing on my feet, but I quickly collapsed to my knees and clutched my arm. I took deep, groaning breaths as my skin felt like it was melting off. After blinking away the tears, I looked up to see Sora still riding on the top of the Storm Rider. He summoned his Keyblade with an angry scowl on his face and he swung it, taking the other horn off. The Heartless let out another painful shriek. Sora turned his Keyblade over upside down and stabbed the Storm Rider in the back, right where the heart would be. The Heartless's roar turned into a wretched gurgling noise. It spiraled to the ground. Sora backflipped off of the Storm Rider's back and landed on the ground in a three-point landing. Sora sprinted over to me.

"Hallie, are you okay?" Sora said.

"Yeah..." I said, looking at my arm. The pain faded and a dull throb took its place. My arm looked fine, as if nothing had happened.

"I... I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry..."

I looked up at Sora and he stared at the ground in bitter remorse with his fists clenched. He even looked on the verge of tears. I laid my hand on his arm.

"I'm fine. Really." I said. "Thanks for saving me."

Sora looked up at me and sighed. He helped me up.

As the Storm Rider fell, its landing was pinpointed right on top of Mulan. She stood there in horror.

"Mulan!" Shang cried.

He sprinted over to her and shielded her. The Storm Rider's body began to fade, and when it reached Shang and Mulan, they phased right through it. A large heart emerged from the Heartless and disappeared, along with the Storm Rider's body.

"Nice work!" Callum said.

Shang helped Mulan up and they smiled at each other. We cleared our throats and gave them teasing looks. They looked over at us, at each other, then backed away.

Above the palace, fireworks exploded in the air, casting colors of green, red, gold, and blue across the overcast sky.

* * *

><p>Donald, Goofy, Sora, me, Callum, and Mulan stood respectively in a line before the Emperor and Shang in the throne room.<p>

"Once again, you have served China well." The Emperor said. "It would please me to reward you. What is it that you wish?"

Donald rubbed his hands together. Goofy's stomach growled and he rubbed it with a dreamy look on his face. They looked to Sora hopefully.

"Well..." Sora said. "You say a guy in black came to see you. What did he say?"

"_That_ is all you request?" the Emperor said.

"Yes."

Donald and Goofy slumped forward.

"Dragons have crossed our land and left a great web of paths. These dragons wield much power, and they are the source of many gifts to both man and nature." The Emperor said. "But it would seem someone of evil intent disturbed one of our dragons, and transformed it into what you call a Heartless. It is my belief that this young man came to warn me of that danger. Then, I could alert and prepare my troops."

"Did you?" Sora said.

The Emperor chuckled. "I was about to, but he told me the situation had changed."

"He said three "wise guys" and their babysitter had arrived, and they would take care of things." Shang said.

Donald squawked in confusion, Goofy guffawed, and Sora smiled.

"That's gotta be Riku!" Sora said.

Donald and Goofy exchanged worried glances with each other and me.

"But what's he doin' hangin' out with Organization XIII?" Goofy said.

"No idea." Sora said. "He might have a reason why. Like Callum."

"Huh?" Callum and I said.

"You were dressed like a member of the Organization. You were probably trying to blend in with them and keep yourself hidden. The King's doing it too, so maybe Riku's following along. At least I finally know he's okay. That's good enough."

"Yeah, that's good!" Donald said.

I glanced at Callum, but he stared at the ground.

"Now then, Fa Mulan. Do you have a request?" the Emperor said.

"I'd like Shang... I-I mean... well... The Captain..." Mulan said.

"Yes, yes, my dear. What is it?"

"Could the Captain have a vacation, please?"

Shang looked at Mulan surprised.

"I hardly expected such humble requests." The Emperor chuckled. "In this case, I'm afraid I must refuse. Captain Li's responsibility is to protect the Emperor. And yet, Mulan..."

"Yes?" Mulan stood at attention.

"Would you like to serve alongside him and protect me?"

"What?" Shang and Mulan said.

"Two reeds together are stronger than one. But the choice is yours alone."

Mulan smiled and bowed. "Thank you, your Excellency!"

Shang stepped closer to Mulan and they smiled at each other. Sora smiled and wiped his eyes. I nudged him with my shoulder. He looked at me and smiled sheepishly. I laughed and his smile brightened.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<br>**

**As soon as the gang arrives in the Land of Dragons, they see a man in a black cloak lurking in the mountains. They follow him to the summit, and Sora and Hallie face against him and another swarm of Rapid Thrusters. Sora believes the man was Riku. As the group travels down the mountain, they witness a giant Heartless burst from the snow and head towards the city! They race to the palace and find out the cloaked man is inside the palace! They confront him, and Sora calls out his best friend's name. The cloaked man turns out not to be Riku, but Xigbar from Organization XIII, who Hallie remembers as the man that confronted her and the others when she first began her journey at Hollow Bastion. Xigbar unleashes a horde of Nobodies on the group, and while they fight, Hallie finds out Callum is a Keyblade wielder. She also finds out that Callum knows information about Organization XIII that even _she_ didn't know, but how he got that information remains a mystery. The gang goes outside and defeats the Storm Rider. ****They meet with Shang and the Emperor, who tells them a different cloaked man came to warn him about the Heartless. Sora strongly believes that _that_ man was Riku, which leaves Goofy and Donald concerned that Riku could be affiliated with Organization XIII. But knowing that his best friend is okay, Sora is renewed with hope.  
><strong>

**How does Callum know about Organization XIII's desires? Why is he able to wield the Keyblade? What connection does Xigbar have with Hallie? What is the mystery behind the cords on Hallie's arm?**

**Stayed tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	27. Stay With Me

**CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN**

As we walked into Beast's Castle, we saw the Beast pacing the floor. He was dressed in a blue and yellow jacket, an orange vest underneath, and black pants. His hair was tied back in a blue bow, and his posture was nice and straight compared to his usual hunch. As he paced, he grumbled and growled to himself, constantly looking up the stairs.

"Hey there!" Sora called.

"Wow, you're looking pretty sharp tonight." I said.

Donald looked around the room. "No Heartless and no Nobodies!"

"I think they're close, though..." Goofy said.

"Better watch out!" Sora said.

Callum looked around the room suspiciously. Beast glanced again at the staircase and turned to us with a scowl.

"What's with the grumpy face?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Why are you here?" Beast said.

"The Nobodies' world has to be out there somewhere." Sora said. "We're looking for a way in."

"Hmph."

Suddenly, the wardrobe tumbled down the stairs.

"Master! Master! Belle is in need of some assistance!" she said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stepped forward.

"Oh, not from YOU!" the three boys cowered back. The wardrobe locked eyes with me. "Her!"

"Me?!" I said. "Why? What for?"

"Don't question the magical talking furniture." Callum said, shoving me forward.

* * *

><p>I slowly followed the wardrobe through the east wing. We came to Belle's room, where she paced the floor, similar to Beast. When she saw me, she smiled and gave me a hug.<p>

"It's so good to see you again, Hallie!" Belle said.

"You, uh, need my help with something?" I said. "Is everything okay?"

"Ohhh, I don't know... I'm just so nervous about tonight."

"How come the Beast is so dressed up?"

"He's holding a ball for me. He's so sweet. I'm glad that you're here."

"Why? Are there Heartless or Nobodies around?"

The wardrobe stepped next to Belle. Belle reached over and opened the doors, revealing dozens of dresses inside.

"No... I don't have a clue on what I should wear!"

I stared at Belle in disbelief.

"...and you want me to help?" I said. "I'm the _last_ person to help you with that!"

"Oh, please, would you?" Belle said, clasping her hands together.

I groaned. "Fine..."

Belle smiled and sifted through her dresses. I watched as a flurry of colorful fabrics were taken out, examined carefully, and tossed aside with a quick shake of the head and a frustrated sigh.

"Wait a minute..." Belle said.

"What?" I said.

Belle reached deep into her closet and pulled out a dress very different from the others. It was a white, goddess dress with a crew neckline and cap sleeves. The bodice of the dress was embellished with gold sequins and beads. A beaded, gold band of fabric was cinched at the waist, and the skirt was white, poofy, tulle-y, and expanded out.

"I've... never seen this dress before." Belle said.

"What do you mean? It's in your closet." I said.

"I don't recall ever getting it. Besides, it looks far too nice for me, and I believe it might be a bit too small on me."

Belle looked at the dress, glanced over at me, and smiled.

"But... it might fit you." she said.

"What?!" I jumped back. "You want me to wear that? No way!"

"Please? Tonight is a special night for me."

I crossed my arms.

"It could very well be a special night for you, too. Perhaps for you and your friend."

My cheeks grew hotter the longer I stared at the dress.

"Ohhh... all right!" I said, snatching away the dress. Belle smiled.

* * *

><p>I gulped as I looked at myself in the mirror. Belle was right, this dress was my size. In fact, it fit me perfectly. The poofy skirt ended at my knees, and the beaded, gold band of fabric hugged my waist like a pair of arms. I fumbled with my hands and stared at my reflection while I waited for Belle. She stepped out dressed in a beautiful yellow ball gown. Her hair was pulled up in a half-up-half-down hairstyle, with some collected up in a bun and the rest flowing down her shoulders.<p>

"Oh, you look absolutely beautiful!" Belle said, placing a hand over her heart.

"Thanks." I said awkwardly. "You look really pretty."

"Now, all we need are the finishing touches."

Belle decorated my waterfall braid with little daisies. She found some tall, gold gladiator sandals at the bottom of her closet, again claiming that she's never seen them before. I tried them on and they fit perfectly as well. We observed the after look in the mirror. Belle stood behind me and rested her gloved hands on my shoulders.

"I think you're ready." Belle said.

"To go out there?!" I said, turning to her. "Sorry, Belle. It was nice to play dress-up, but there is NO way that I'm going out there like this!"

Belle pouted and stared at me with puppy-dog eyes. I could feel myself cracking.

"FINE." I grumbled, crossing my arms.

Belle smiled, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out of the room.

* * *

><p>I bet Belle expected a more graceful descent from the stairs, but with me, it was anything but. She had to drag me down the stairs while I grumbled and protested. I'm sure she looked elegant as she walked, but I was the exact opposite.<p>

"_Hallie?_" a collection of all of my friends' voices said.

I gulped and faced them. I walked down the stairs and over to their gaping mouths and widened eyes.

"Hi." I said sheepishly.

"What happened to YOU?" Donald said.

"Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes. "Belle needed help, and in the meantime, she did this."

"You look... nice." Sora said, staring at me like I was a different person.

I looked over at Callum. He stared at me as well, but his look was more terrified than surprised.

"Is something wrong, Callum?" I said.

"Duhh, um... no..." Callum said. "It's just... where did you get that dress? And those shoes?"

I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Belle found them in her closet. You should've seen the shock on her face." I said. "She said she's never seen these things before. They seem to fit me just fine."

Callum gulped and looked away. We turned to Belle and the Beast. We watched them bow to each other, link arms, and journey into the ballroom.

"Uh, maybe we came at a bad time." Goofy said.

"Are you kidding me?" I said, stealing a glance at Callum. "No way am I traveling around like this. I might as well make the most of tonight."

* * *

><p>Belle and the Beast walked to the middle of the ballroom. They turned to each other.<p>

"Now then, Monsieur, Mademoiselle. Please, enjoy the evening." Lumiere said. Everyone turned to us as we stepped into the room. Goofy waved. "And of course, our honored guests are welcome, too."

"A welcome, indeed." a chilling voice echoed in the room.

Belle and the Beast clung to each other. Sora, Callum, and I ran further into the ballroom and looked around. Standing above us on the higher balcony was a man dressed in a black coat.

"The Organization!" Sora cried.

"Xaldin!" I said.

"You don't know when to quit." Xaldin said.

"Oh yeah! We'll show you!" Donald said.

"Get out!" The Beast roared. He tore himself away from Belle and ran towards Xaldin.

"Not tonight!" Belle said. I laid a hand on her shoulder.

Xaldin snapped his fingers and Dragoon Nobodies appeared. Beast ran forward and easily destroyed three Nobodies with a quick swipe of his claws.

"I've come to take something you hold very dear."

Beast let out a ferocious roar.

"Yes. Let your anger grow..." Xaldin said as he disappeared into darkness.

"Beast! We have to get rid of these guys first!" Sora said.

"I never thought I would fight monsters in a dress." I said, summoning Chaos Ripper.

A Dragoon appeared and stabbed its spear into the ground right in front of me. I jumped back.

"Two can play at that game!" I said.

I jumped in the air and stabbed my Keyblade into the Dragoon in the same manner. It disappeared. As some Dusks approached me, I sidestepped to confuse them before attacking.

"Where's Belle?!" Sora said once we regathered.

"Over here!" Belle called.

She and the servants emerged from the outside balcony.

"Whew, she's okay." Sora said.

"Guess Xaldin didn't take anything after all." Goofy said.

Beast gasped and ran out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Sora said.

Belle ran after him.

"Belle?" I called.

"What's with them?" Sora said.

"Maybe Belle isn't the only thing precious to the Beast." Goofy said.

"C'mon!" Donald said.

* * *

><p>As we entered Beast's room, he paced the floor yet again. However, this time, he looked totally ticked off. He stopped in the middle of the floor and let out an angry roar as he slammed his fists into the ground.<p>

"What's wrong?" Belle said.

The Beast growled. Belle slowly approached him.

"Please, calm down!" she said.

"Calm down?!" The Beast cried. Belle flinched. "You just had to have a party, didn't you? Don't you see what's happened?"

"Hey, what's with you?" Sora said.

"The rose... My rose..."

We looked to the now empty table at the end of the room where Beast's rose once was.

"What, that? He took it?" Sora said.

"But surely, you can find another rose..." Belle said.

"Silence! You don't know anything!" Beast roared.

"Hey! Knock it off!" I cried. Sora jumped in front of Belle with his arms out to the side.

"That's not fair, Beast. Don't take it out on Belle." Sora said. "It's not like she stole it!"

"I'm sorry..." Belle said.

"You don't have to apologize." Sora said.

"But..."

I walked over and laid a hand on Belle's shoulder. Beast slumped forward and turned away.

"Belle... Sora... I want you to leave the castle." Beast said. "Look at me. Look. This is what I am. When you first got here, I tried to change. But I was only fooling myself. I can't be any different. I'll always be a beast. So, I should live like a beast. With no one, alone. Good-bye, Belle."

"You can't mean that." Belle said, holding her hands over her heart.

The Beast glanced at Belle, then turned away and walked over to the window.

"Aw, I think his mind's all made up." Goofy whispered.

"Yeah..." Sora said.

Belle took my hand off her shoulder and walked away.

"Look, Belle. Leave this to us." Sora said. "If we can get the Beast's rose back, he'll calm down."

Belle nodded, looked back at us, then walked away.

"Poor Belle." I said.

We followed her out of Beast's room. Cogsworth, Ms. Potts, and Lumiere waited for us.

"How could it have come to this?" Ms. Potts said.

"And they were so looking forward to this evening..." Lumiere said.

"Yeah, so was I." I mumbled.

"What was that?" Callum said.

"Nothing!"

"Now, now- no need to be so sad." Ms. Potts said. "Once the rose is back safely, this will all be over."

"What's so special about one rose, anyway?" Sora said.

"If the master can love and be loved in return, the spell will be broken." Cogsworth said. "We'll all be human again."

"They told us this the last time we came." I said, rolling my eyes. "Even _I_ remembered that."

"But there is a time limit." Lumiere said. "He must find his true love before the last petal falls from that rose."

"Ah, but that is not all..." Cogsworth said. "Over time, caring for that rose has become a cherished part of the master's daily life."

"It's as though all his hopes and dreams are tied to that single bloom..." Ms. Potts said.

"Poor Beast!" Sora said. "Then we have to get it back."

"Please do."

"We'll need the Beast's help." I said. "He's got to get the rose back himself if it's that important to him. We should try talking to him."

* * *

><p>We went back into Beast's room, where he still stood mourning.<p>

"Hey, Beast." Sora said.

"Leave me alone." Beast said.

"Come on, you need to hear this." Sora said. "You used to be fearless. You would've given your life to save Belle. Don't you know what that meant to us? You gave us all courage. Hmph, maybe you should have kept some for yourself. I mean, are you really gonna throw your happiness away?"

Beast was quiet.

"The rose is your only hope, isn't it?" Sora continued. "Well, it's the only hope for Cogsworth and the others, too. So, don't throw away your last chance. Remember what it was like before Belle lived here?"

Beast looked out the window.

"We all have people or things that are important to us. But when they're taken away from you, you don't just sit around and mope and mourn forever. You fight for them. You brave whatever may be in your way and you fight to get those things back." I said. I laid a hand over my heart. "You'll want to give up, you might want to quit. But hope is that whisper in our hearts that urges us to keep going, no matter how tired or beaten down we are."

Callum's eyes dropped to the floor in shame. He knew I was talking about him.

"You can't give up. Not now." Sora said.

It was silent again.

"I know one thing." Beast said.

"What?" Sora said.

"This castle belongs to me." Beast growled. "Xaldin will _never_ be welcome here!"

We nodded and smiled.

* * *

><p>We ran to the entrance hall.<p>

"So, Beast... you came after all." Xaldin's voice said.

We looked up to see him standing on a ledge that laid below a window above the ballroom door. He was holding the rose.

"You had me worried. I was afraid you've given up for good." Xaldin said.

"What do you guys really want?" Sora called.

"...Kingdom Hearts."

I growled and clenched my fist. Xaldin reached up and took off his hood. His hair was black and styled into dreadlocks, which were pulled back into a ponytail aside from a few that dangled in his face. He had bushy eyebrows and thick sideburns that were parallel to his violet eyes.

"When Kingdom Hearts is ours, we can exist fully and completely." Xaldin smirked.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other.

"So you see, Beast- that's why we need your Heartless AND your Nobody!"

"Your stupid little plan won't work!" I cried.

Xaldin chuckled. "And who are you to say otherwise?"

I clenched my fist and summoned Chaos Ripper as Dragoons Dusks and Assassins appeared before us. When we finished them off, Xaldin floated to the castle doors. He looked back at us, scoffed, and went through the doors.

"He's not getting away that easily." I said.

* * *

><p>We walked to the castle courtyard and looked around.<p>

"Huh?" I heard Goofy say.

I followed his line of sight over to Belle, who leaned over her balcony and stared down at the ground in a melancholic faze. She had changed out of her ball gown and was back into her regular blue dress.

_Oh sure, SHE gets to change..._

Belle looked down and saw us. Goofy and I waved as Donald jumped up and down, squawking at us. She stood up in surprise and retreated to the door. I watched her bend down and pick something up. She ran to the balcony edge and I saw something pink and shimmery in her arms.

"Look! It's the rose!" Belle cried.

Suddenly, Xaldin came up behind her and covered her mouth with his cloaked hand.

"Belle!" Beast cried.

Xaldin picked up Belle and the rose and leaped from the balcony to the other side of the castle.

"Hurry!" Sora cried as we ran to the outside doors.

Beast lunged at the door and broke it open with his shoulder. Looking up at the castle from this view, it looked even more ominous and larger from the outside. We ran onto the bridge. Xaldin stood at the other side holding Belle in one arm and the rose in another.

"You! Get out of my castle, now!" Beast cried.

"With pleasure, but I'd rather travel light..." Xaldin said. "What shall I leave behind? Belle? Or the rose?"

Beast growled. "Belle!" He ran towards them.

Belle broke free of Xaldin's hold and elbowed him hard in the stomach. As Xaldin doubled over in pain, she grabbed the rose from his other hand and ran away with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Way to go, Belle!" I called as she ran past.

Beast ran towards Xaldin and slashed at him with his claws, but Xaldin disappeared and reappeared before the gates that lead into the woods. He glared at us and raised his arms in an X formation above his head. Funnels of black, electric darkness swirled around him in a circle. They dispersed and revealed six purple spears, similar to that of a Dragoon. They disappeared momentarily. Xaldin reached his hands out, grabbing one spear with his left hand and two in the other. He floated in the air with three more spears circling about him.

Xaldin disappeared suddenly, then appeared right above us. He came down with his spears and stabbed downward. I jumped right out of the way, quietly learning this jumping technique and using it against him. I looked around me and saw spears rapidly circling around me.

"Look out, Hallie!" Callum cried.

I shot my hands out to the sides of me. A shimmering white barrier appeared around me like a dome, blocking the spears that threatened to shred me to pieces. The spears flew back into Xaldin, striking him. Sora and Callum ran over with his Keyblade and attacked Xaldin with a combined Aerial Finish.

Xaldin flew back. All of his spears wedged into the stone bridge. They all disappeared in pillars of light. Xaldin let out an agonizing scream as he and his weapons disappeared.

* * *

><p>We stood once again in the castle courtyard. Belle and the Beast stood facing each other. Belle held the rose in her hands.<p>

"Here. It's yours again." Belle said, handing the rose to Beast.

"Belle..." Beast said.

"I know. You want me to leave the castle."

"What matters is... You weren't hurt by Xaldin. You're safe."

We all sighed in relief and smiled.

"And... I'm very grateful to you... for bringing the rose back to me." Beast said. "Thank you."

Belle giggled and smiled.

"It's the least I could do. You've been good to me. And you didn't have to be." Belle said.

"Listen, Belle..." Beast said.

"Yes?"

The Beast gulped and looked over at us.

"Say it!" Sora said.

"Go on!" Lumiere said.

"C'mon!" Donald cried.

"You can do it!" Ms. Potts said.

"We have confidence!" Cogsworth said.

"Don't be bashful, now." Goofy said.

I had nothing left to add, so I just giggled and nodded. The Beast turned to Belle.

"Belle, I'd like you to stay..." Beast said. "With me... Please?"

A smile grew on Belle's face. She offered her hand to the Beast. He took it and they held each other in a waltzing fashion.

"I will." Belle said.

"Maestro- music!" Lumiere said.

We watched Belle and the Beast dance together. The Beast twirled Belle around.

"Hey, did you see the look on Belle's face when she grabbed that rose?" Sora said, placing his hands behind his head.

"Yep, she sure was havin' fun, all right." Goofy said.

"She is rather unique, isn't she?" Lumiere said.

"Always ready for a little adventure." Ms. Potts said.

I watched Belle's smile on her face grow wider with each step they took. I sighed and smiled to myself.

"Oh, yeah. You never told us why you were wearing that dress in the first place, Hallie." Sora said.

"Huh?" I looked down at myself and saw that I was still wearing the dress. I held my hands together behind my back. "I don't know... Belle suggested that I try and make tonight special for me as well. I guess things didn't go the way I hoped."

"Well, if it helps, I think you look really pretty."

My cheeks flared up. "Thanks."

We smiled at each other.

"The two of them do seem made for each other." Cogsworth said, referring to Belle and Beast.

"Yeah, they sure do." Callum said. I turned my head to him. He stared at Belle and Beast with a shameful grimace.

"Callum?" I said.

"I never really thought about... how much you were effected when I left." he said. He looked down at his hands and slowly clenched them. "The pain you must've gone through... and yet you kept fighting just to find me. And where was I? Hanging around a giant castle for four years, doing nothing but be pathetic. I... I'm sorry, Hallie."

I smiled and took his hand. He looked at me in surprise.

"That doesn't matter anymore." I said. "Because I have you back. And this time, I plan to never lose you again."

Callum's smile overflowed with hopeful excitement. He squeezed my hand and we returned our gazes to the dancing couple before us.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<br>**

**The gang walks ****right in the middle of a ball Beast is throwing for Belle, and Hallie is tempted into trying to make the night special for her as well. But before things could be set in motion, Xaldin appears and ruins the night. He steals Beast's rose, the key to breaking the curse over him and the inhabitants of his castle. Beast orders Belle and the group to leave and let him suffer the consequences. Sora and Hallie talk some sense back into the Beast and they set off to face Xaldin. Belle finds the rose, but it is a trap set up by Xaldin and he kidnaps her. Luckily, she breaks away and runs away with the rose to safety. Hallie and the others defeat Xaldin. Beast pleads with Belle to stay, and she gladly accepts. And although the night didn't go as they hoped, the ending was still just as sweet for them, and even for Hallie.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	28. A Pain in My Tuchus

**CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT**

I was very much relieved to be back into my old clothes, but I have to admit, I kind of liked wearing that dress.

"Hey, everybody! I'm picking up a strange reading." Chip said.

"Are you sure? Let me see!" Dale said.

"Look- it's all cloudy and kinda fuzzy."

"Prob'ly just a glitch."

"I don't know..."

"I don't know what that was about..." I said.

"Me neither." Sora said.

* * *

><p>As we landed in the Underworld, I was hit by another stinging pain in my head. Hercules and Megara came down from the entrance to Olympus Coliseum.<p>

"Hey." Hercules said.

"Herc! You feeling any better?" Sora said.

Hercules bowed his head.

"Well... same routine." Megara said. "Wonderboy here thinks his hero days are over. And Phil thinks it's all in his head."

"Gawrsh, Herc. We know you're a hero!" Goofy said.

"That's right... Blunderboy." a voice said. "How can you mope on a momentous day like today? The Underdrome's back, and you are gonna fill the stands."

Hades appeared in a pillar of smoky fire. I could feel Callum tense up beside me.

"After all, your fans won't settle for anything less than a certified hero." Hades said. "I mean, if you're not up to it, you could always just, I dunno, LOSE?"

"I bet you of all people would enjoy seeing that." I said, crossing my arms.

Hades glared at me, but then his eyes fell on Callum and he smirked. Callum stepped back.

"Well, well, well. It's been a while since I've seen the two of you together." Hades said. "Glad to know your boyfriend's still in one piece, huh, Hallie?"

"HUH?!" Callum and I said. My face began to burn.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes... _I'm_ not a selfish guy. I'm not like those high and mighty snobs up on Olympus. I stand for the masses! And have I got a _massive_ idea!" Hades said. "The games, ladies and gentlemen... are back! Yours truly, Hades- the one and only Lord of the Dead- brings you the ultimate games, to celebrate the re-opening of the ultimate coliseum! We'll finally answer the age-old question: Who deserves the title "Ultimate Hero"? These games are gonna settle the debate once and for all! The winner reigns supreme. Of what? You guessed it! The Hades Cup!"

"I bet he's a sports announcer in his spare time." Callum said. I giggled in my hands.

"And I assure you that the "Great" Hercules will be there. Otherwise..." Hades grinned evilly at Megara. Hercules stood in front of her. "You'll never see your girlfriend again."

"Lowlife!" Sora cried as Hades disappeared in a pillar of smoke and fire.

"Heh, you're too kind, kid." Hades voice echoed.

"Ugh, that Hades is a real pain in the petunia." I grumbled, crossing my arms. "And what's this about the Hades Cup?"

"We're signing up for that." Sora said.

"What?! Are you out of your mind?"

"C'mon, Hallie. This'll be a great chance for us to get stronger and more experienced. I bet there's even a life lesson tied into this."

"You just want to prove to Phil that you guys are hero-material, don't you?"

"We ARE heroes!" Donald squawked beside me.

I shook my head. "Fine, then. This won't be the first thing that you guys have dragged me into."

We signed up and took a look at the bracket.

"Who do we face first?" Hercules said.

"It's "Spin Strike."" Goofy said, reading the board.

"Look! Auron's in the tournament, too!" Donald said.

"Uh-oh! We might have to fight him in the finals!"

"I bet he's a real hero, huh?" Hercules said.

"Well, I don't think he's a bad guy..." Sora said. He turned to Hercules. "But you're the only hero around here, Hercules. you know that."

"Maybe before... Now I'm just a wash-"

"Stop that!"

"Holy Hydra, man. You're giving me a headache." I said. A flash of pain stung my brain.

Spin Strike was made up of Driller Moles, Tornado Steps, and a Morning Star. We beat the snot out of them.

"At least give us something challenging." I said, casually stretching my arms.

"How'd it go out there, champ?" Sora said to Hercules.

"I'm just not what I used to be. Sorry to drag you down, guys." Hercules said.

"Don't throw in the towel yet, Herc! We need you in the semifinals!"

"I'd like to take that towel and smack him with it." I grumbled.

The next opponent we were against called themselves "Bad Alert". It was made up of Minute Bombs, a Crescendo, and a Crimson Jazz. Again, super easy.

"We made it to the finals!" Sora said.

"If we win, we'll all be heroes!" Donald cried, and I raised a teasing eyebrow at him.

"Oh, that's why you're so happy." Goofy said.

"We can't stay junior heroes forever, you know." Sora said.

"I'll try not to mess things up." Hercules said from the floor.

"Enough already..." Callum grumbled.

"Look. Over there. He's our final opponent, right?"

We turned to see Auron standing at a door.

"Auron!" Sora called.

Auron turned and looked at us. His body gave off a strange red and black energy.

"And you are?" Auron said.

"Huh?" Sora said.

"Auron...?" Donald said.

"I must defeat you and atone for my crimes."

"Hey!" Sora called, but Auron turned around and left. "What was that all about?"

* * *

><p>We followed Auron into the Cave of the Dead. I ran forward, but Callum grabbed my arm and yanked me back behind the wall. We peeked over and saw Auron and Hades.<p>

"Okay, let's review. State your crime, prisoner." Hades said.

"I exist. That is my crime." Auron said. "It is... inexcusable."

"Ooo, good, very good..."

"What's wrong with Auron? He's never acted that way before." Sora said.

"Shh!" I whispered.

"Okay, so you made one lousy mistake: you exist. But hey, I'm a forgiving guy. You keep your end of our little deal, and I'm willing to overlook a transgression or two." Hades said.

"I understand. Defeat Hercules." Auron said.

"And his meddling friends."

"What? No, only Hercules."

"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten who's in charge?"

Hades placed his hand on Auron's shoulder. He gripped it and it swirled with red sparks of fire. Auron groaned in pain as more red and black energy escaped from him. Hades counted to three, then pulled out a miniature Auron statue. The energy transferred from him into the statue.

"Hercules and his friends." Hades said. I saw Hades turn his head to the wall. When I looked, I saw a dark silhouette standing there. Hades rolled his eyes and turned back to Auron. "Especially that little Keyblade brat. Are we clear?"

Sora and I glanced at each other.

"We're clear, Hades." Auron said.

"_Lord _Hades."

"Lord Hades..."

Hades took his hand off of Auron and he slumped forward. "Good. Now go."

Auron turned around and we hid against the wall.

"So that's why Auron's acting weird." I said.

"And that's how he's controlling Auron!" Sora said, gesturing to the statue in Hades' hand.

"There, ya happy?" Hades said, turning to the wall again. We fell silent. "I did what you asked. Now you and your little boyfriend can _leave me alone_."

"I don't know, Hades." a female voice said that sent a shiver down my spine. "I believe that you still have one more item left on your agenda to take care of."

"And what, exactly, is that?"

The silhouette giggled. "You'll find out soon."

Hades grumbled and walked off. The silhouette disappeared.

"What was that about?" Sora said.

"No idea." I said. "What a jerk."

"With Hades, that'd be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to him." Callum said. He still seemed tense. He noticed me staring at him and he smiled weakly in hopes of covering it up.

"I can't stand seeing Auron do that lowlife's bidding..." Sora said. "We've got to help him!"

Auron passed by us. Sora reached out to him, but he ignored us.

"C'mon, let's go after him!"

* * *

><p>We ran after Auron, but he hopped onto a boat that traveled to the Coliseum.<p>

"What's wrong, Sora?" Hercules said.

"Auron's in trouble! It's like Hades brainwashed him!" Sora said.

"He's using some kind of a statue." Goofy said.

"You know something? That sounds kinda familiar..." Hercules said. "Hm... Hades may be using the statue to hold Auron's free will hostage."

"What'll we do?" Donald said.

"See if you can find that statue. It's gotta be somewhere in the Underworld."

"Right. We're on it!" Sora said.

"Tell me you're not thinking of leaving." Hades suddenly appeared next to Sora. He jumped back. "You've got a match coming up."

"I'll fight Auron in the final. One on one." Hercules said.

"Oh you will, huh?" Hades said.

Hades turned around and conversed with himself.

"Hercules, don't. That's what Hades wants!" I said.

"Don't worry, I'll draw things out to buy you time." Hercules said. "Hurry back. I know you can do it."

"Congratulations! You've got a deal." Hades said.

"Thanks."

"On one condition!"

"Of course." Callum mumbled. Hades shot Callum a nasty glare.

"The Key brats, here, and their trusty friends have to meet the winner in one final clash, whaddya say?"

"That'll drive the crowd wild..." Hercules said.

"It better. I promised the crowd the event of their afterlives."

"Hercules, be careful." I said.

"I've got this." Hercules said, flexing his bicep muscles.

I nodded as another flash of pain struck.

* * *

><p>We ran into the Cave of the Dead, wove through the Heartless that appeared, and made it into Hades' chamber. Sitting at the edge of his large table was Auron's statue.<p>

"Got it!" Sora said.

He reached out, and when he grabbed it, he was suddenly electrocuted.

"Sora!" I cried.

Goofy walked up and touched Sora, and he was electrocuted.

"Um... Goofy?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Huh?" Donald said. He walked up and touched Goofy, and soon the three doofuses were simultaneously electrocuted by the statue. "What's going on?!"

Auron's voice echoed throughout the room.

"I get it. This is what belongs in Auron's heart." Sora said.

"Gawrsh, he musta had a pretty rough life." Goofy said.

The brunette and blond fairies from Hollow Bastion suddenly popped into my head.

"Yeah... but in the end, that's really what made him stronger." Sora said.

"He deserves to have that back." I said.

Suddenly, Dusks appeared around us.

"Nobodies? Where did they come from?" Sora said.

One Dusk reached over and smacked the statue out of Sora's hand.

"Oh no!" I cried.

I dove forward and caught the statue before it hit the ground. The Dusks piled on top of me.

"Hey! Get... off...!" I cried.

As if the Nobodies heard me, one by one, they rolled off of me and disappeared.

"Huh?" I said.

I looked at Callum, who stood before me without his Keyblade drawn. He reached out his hand.

"You okay?" he said.

"Yeah..." I hesitated, then took his hand and stood up.

More Dusks hovered around the window.

"Hey, go away!" Donald cried.

We struck our battle stances, but we paused when Rabid Dogs appeared and attacked the Dusks.

"Not what I had in mind, but I'll take it!" Sora said.

"We'd better skedaddle!" Goofy said.

* * *

><p>We returned to the Underworld entrance area and took a boat to the Coliseum. We arrived to see Hercules hanging at the edge of the platform, trying to hold back Auron's sword.<p>

"Auron, no!" Sora called.

"I believe this belongs to you!" I said.

I took the statue out of my pocket. Hades saw it and scowled. I threw it over to him. The statue broke above him in a spray of light and sparkles. Auron glowed red for a few moments. He stood up and away from Hercules, who slumped down in relief and exhaustion. Auron turned his head to us.

"Sora. Hallie. Donald. Goofy." Auron said.

"Auron!" we all cried.

"Why those little-" Hades growled, turning red with anger momentarily. "Ugh, prisoner! What happened to our mutual agreement? I can give you a clean slate, but you gotta work with me!"

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Auron said. "This is my story, and you're not part of it."

Hades growled, turning red again. He exploded in a huge pillar of fire. He reappeared in front of us in a ring of fire and a column of thick black smoke.

"That's IT! This game is over! I played by the rules so far." Hades said. "Okay, I confess! I was hoping Wonderboy would lose, but it was still a fair fight. C'mon, is that really so wrong?"

"Really, a fair fight?" Sora said and Donald and Goofy snickered.

"Out of all of us, YOU were the one that actually played by the rules?" I said. "I'm shocked."

"Laugh, laugh, laugh all you want! Meheheheheh! Because the laughing is about to stop!" Hades said. "Wanna know why? Because now we're gonna play by my rules."

Hades snapped his fingers and a door behind him opened. Behind it was a green, swirling portal of groaning souls. There was a scream. Megara hovered over the portal.

"Meg!" Hercules and I cried. Another flash of pain.

"Hercules!" Megara cried.

"Hey, I warned you right at the get-go." Hades said. "You don't compete, you lose the girl."

Hades snapped his fingers and Megara fell into the portal. Hercules ran past Hades and over to the portal.

"Meg! Hang on!" Hercules cried. He dove into the portal.

"Looks like Wonderboy has dropped out of the standings." Hades said.

"No!" I cried as another flash of pain struck my brain. I tried to run after him, but Callum held me back.

Hades smirked at me. "Sorry, did I strike a nerve? Or maybe a couple of thousand? Ever since you've returned, you've been nothing but a pain in my tuchus! Out of the billions of people out there, one little girl causes me the most trouble!"

"Enough of your rambling! You've still got us to deal with!" Sora said.

I growled. Hades disappeared and reappeared in front of us.

"Oh, yeah. This is gonna be good." Hades smirked, turning red.

We ran forward and attacked him, but again, we weren't doing anything. Hades casually picked his ear and let out a cackle.

"We can't win." Sora said.

"How come?" Donald said.

"Because it's his Underworld." Auron said.

"Gee, then how do we beat him?" Goofy said.

Suddenly, the door to the portal of souls burst open. We looked, but no one was there.

"I think a true hero should be able to help." a voice said. We turned to see Hercules holding Meg in his arms. He glowed gold and stood tall with power and newly-found confidence.

"Hercules!" we all cried.

"But... you..." Hades stuttered.

Hercules grinned, and his godly smile almost blinded me. "I owe you one, Hades. I didn't hesitate to give my life for Meg's. And then, I remembered: A true hero is measured by the strength of his heart. I'll never forget that again."

"You better not!" I said.

"Just no more crazy stunts." Sora said.

"People always do crazy things when they're in love." Hercules said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other and laughed. My cheeks warmed and I laughed nervously.

"What is so funny, you imbeciles! How DARE you get a happy ending. HOW DARE YOU!" Hades cried. He turned around towards the wall, where I saw the silhouette standing there. "Now can I lay waste to them?"

The silhouette shrugged and disappeared.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Hades said, turning fiery red again.

As Hades approached us, Hercules created large Aura Spheres. Sora, Callum and I launched them with our Keyblades at Hades and he turned back into his original blue self. We attacked, finally able to do some damage. Hades hurled a giant fireball at me. I shot my arms out, creating another Reflect barrier around me. The fireball bounced back into Hades. Hades stumbled back, clutching his heart. Sora leaped over and slashed his Keyblade at him, but he disappeared and reappeared in front of the green portal.

"It's... not over... yet..." Hades said.

Hades lost his footing and fell into the portal.

* * *

><p>We returned to the Underworld entrance.<p>

"What'cha gonna do now, Auron?" Donald said.

"I lived my life defending others." Auron said. "But now... there's no one left to protect. Maybe... it's time I shaped my own story."

"Yeah... You deserve it, Auron- after everything you've been through." Sora said.

"This is a new chapter in your life." I said. "Make it a real page-turner."

Auron chuckled. "I suppose I should thank you."

"Not at all." Sora said.

"Fine." Auron said, turning around to walk away.

"I mean, sure... you should thank us a little."

"You should say what you mean. I guess I could spare a few words... Thanks for meddling."

"Hey, what's that mean?!"

"I think of it as a sort of Auron compliment." I said as Auron walked away.

* * *

><p>A portal of darkness appeared from the wall of the Underworld Coliseum. Vanitas and the girl walked out and stepped onto the balcony where Hades's throne loomed above.<p>

"She's getting stronger." Vanitas said. "No wonder you had a hard time."

The girl placed her fists on her hips. "What, are you afraid?"

"Please." Vanitas rolled her eyes. "By the way, what was that last item on Hades' agenda that he had to do?"

The girl smirked and sat down in Hades' throne with her left leg crossed over her right.

"Fail miserably and witness himself get shown up by a couple of Key brats and their dorky sidekicks."

Vanitas crossed his arms. "Speaking of Key..."

The girl scowled and glared at him with glowing red eyes. "I'll get it back. You can bet your sweet Shadow I will."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hercules is still a depressed mess from the group's first visit, and it seems to have gotten worse. Hades appears and announces the opening of the Underdrome, the Underworld's Coliseum, and he threatens to take away Megara if Hercules doesn't participate in it. Hallie and the others sign up to be a part of the Hades Cup. They run into Auron, but he's acting super strange. When they follow him into the Underworld, they find out Hades is holding Auron's will hostage, so they go to Hades' lair to get it back while Hercules distracts the god of the dead by battling Auron in the tournament. The group returns Auron back to normal, but Hades keeps his end of the deal and throws Megara into a portal of the dead. Hercules goes after her and saves her, restoring his confidence and godly birthright. Hallie and her friends team up with Hercules and defeat Hades, as well as say their farewells and best wishes to Auron, who has a new story to write.**

**Could Hades know something about Hallie's past? Could he have been _part_ of her past? Why does Hallie keep experiencing these strange brain pains, and why do most of them occur at Olympus Coliseum? What was the "Key" Vanitas and the mysterious girl talking about?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	29. A Real Hero

**CHAPTER TWENTY NINE**

We returned to the surface of Olympus Coliseum, where it was still in ruins from the last time we visited. It was nighttime, and the stars and moon twinkled high in the sky.

"Thanks again, guys! You're the best." Hercules said.

"Excuse us for meddling." Donald grumbled with his arms crossed.

"Aw... sounds like somebody's feathers are a little ruffled." Megara said. "I'm kidding. Thank you, Sora, Hallie, Callum, Donald, Goofy."

"So where you guys headed next?" Hercules said.

Sora crossed his arms. "Aw, you know..." he said. "You two lovebirds seem to be getting along just fine without us hanging around."

Hercules and Megara looked at each other and quickly stepped away from each other. They looked away, then back at each other and smiled. I held my hands behind my back and smiled.

"Yeah, we gotta go." Donald said.

"Uh-huh, before we start meddlin'." Goofy said.

"You mean anymore than you already have?" I said.

"Are you turkeys trying to put me out of a job?" Phil called, walking over to us. "If you keep acing every challenge, Champ, who am I gonna train?"

"Aw, you can't abandon me now, Phil! I gotta be at the top of my game in case Hades shows up again." Hercules said, flexing his muscles.

Donald and Sora ran over to Phil and got in his face.

"Hey, are we true heroes yet?!" Donald said.

"Yeah! C'mon, Phil, how 'bout it?" Sora said.

"Lemme see now..." Phil said. "Well, you're not wise enough... Not quite... seasoned enough..."

"Okay, okay, we get the hint!" Sora said.

"Look, kid, it's not my call."

"Aw, phooey!" Donald said.

"Course, if it was, you'd have no problem. I'd make you all heroes, in a heartbeat!"

"Really?!" Sora cried.

"Say it again!" Donald said.

"On second thought, if those are your "hero" faces, you still got a lotta work to do."

Phil turned around and walked away. Donald scurried up beside him.

"Hey, what do you mean?" he said.

"Go away!" Phil said and he broke into a run.

"Phil!" Sora called, chasing after him.

"Leave me alone!"

Phil ran over behind Hercules.

"Hey, Phil, I got an idea." Hercules said. "Why don't you train Hallie?"

"What?" I said.

Phil came out from behind Hercules and approached me. "Yeah, you aced my challenges with the best times I've seen since Wonderboy here, and you were pretty impressive in the Hades Cup." Phil said. "I could turn you into a real hero. What do you say, Hallie?"

"A hero?"

I turned to my friends. They looked at me with sad smiles.

"Um, I need to think about this."

I turned around and ran down into the Underworld.

* * *

><p>With a grunt, I slashed through another Heartless. Leaning on my Keyblade, I panted and stood in the now empty battle platform. A pool of darkness rippled next to me. I took my foot and stomped on it. I heard a shriek and the pool disappeared.<p>

"Impressive."

I gasped and whirled around, pointing my Keyblade in the direction of the voice. I lowered my Keyblade and dispelled it as Sora hopped off of the boat and walked onto the platform.

"I can see why Phil would want to train you."

"Sora, I..." I said.

"Don't say anything." Sora said. "I didn't come here to try and convince you to stay and train or to reject it and continue with us."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because you need to hear this."

I wiped my clammy hands on my shorts. Sora approached me.

"If you want to stay here and train, I won't be mad. I'll understand." Sora said. "I want you to be where your heart wants to be. Where it feels like it belongs."

Sora smiled at me. I looked away and squeezed my eyes shut. I clenched my fists as a lump formed in my throat. Sora's smile faded.

"I want you to be happy." Sora said quietly.

I heard his footsteps fade and the sound of oars striking the water. I looked up to see Sora as a small speck climb out of the boat. He turned around and lingered his gaze at the Coliseum. Tears sprang from my eyes and down my cheeks.

"Huh?" I said as I felt my cheek and looked at my tear-smeared hand.

I clenched my fist and looked up. Sora was gone. More tears ran down my face.

* * *

><p>~SORA~<p>

"Is Hallie okay?" Goofy said.

"I don't know." I said, looking at the ground. "I guess we'll just have to see what she chooses."

Donald and Goofy looked at me then at each other.

"See that?" I heard Megara say.

"Well, whaddya know?" Hercules said.

We looked up in the sky and gasped. The stars began to swirl around until they collected together to create images of us.

"Well, lookie there!" Goofy said.

"I guess we are heroes after all, huh Phil?!" Donald said.

Phil stared at the sky in shock.

I stared at the images. In the sky, Goofy and Donald stood alongside me. But then I saw another person standing in between me and Donald. Hallie. Her image twinkled brightly in the sky, putting all the other stars to shame.

"The stars are sure beautiful tonight, huh?" Callum said beside me.

I smiled to myself. "Yeah..."

* * *

><p>We said goodbye to Hercules and the gang piled into the Gummi Ship. We sat in our seats and looked at each other with concern on our faces.<p>

"So I guess...?" I said.

"I think so." Goofy said.

I nodded and gripped the steering wheel.

"Did you honestly think you could take off without me?" a voice said.

We all turned around and jumped out of our chairs.

"Hallie!" we all cried.

Hallie stood at the doorway with her fists on her hips. She smiled. Callum ran over and hugged her.

"We thought you were going to stay and train." Callum said.

"You really thought I would leave all of this just to spend my days smashing pots?" Hallie said. "There's no way I would leave you guys. I'm happy here with you."

I smiled as Hallie walked over and sat in her chair next to mine.

"Besides, we've got a mission to finish!" she said. "The Organization isn't going to stop itself."

"Right." I said, sitting down and revving up the Gummi Ship.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie is offered the opportunity to stay and train with Phil and Hercules in Olympus Coliseum and become a hero. She escapes to the Underworld to think about her decision. Sora follows her into the Underdrome and tells her that he'll accept whatever choice she makes, even if it means having to let her go, as long as that choice will make her happy. In the end, Hallie comes to the obvious conclusion to continue journeying with her friends, because being with them is where she feels like she belongs. **

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	30. Savvy?

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

As we walked down to the harbor, we saw undead pirates rush over to Jack with their weapons drawn.

"Jack!" Sora cried.

"Zola! Some assistance!" Jack said.

"It's SORA."

"Will ye leave a mate to perish?"

"Aye aye..."

I summoned Chaos Ripper and we attacked the pirates. I cast Blizzara on the pirates, freezing them in their place. Goofy barreled through them, and they shattered into pieces and disappeared.

"Those pirates were cursed." Sora said. We all turned to Jack. "I thought we'd seen the last of the curse of the Aztec gold..."

"Jack, what did you do?" I said, placing my hands on my hips.

"Some scallywag must've got greedy..." Jack said. "...Oh, I see. You don't trust me, do you?"

We all nodded.

"Likely a wise choice. I AM a pirate, mates."

"Jack! Hallie! Sora!" we turned to see Elizabeth running towards us.

"Elizabeth? What's wrong?" I said.

Jack turned around to leave.

"Wait, Jack! I need your help. The cursed pirates have returned. Will had to find out why, so he went to Isla de Muerta to check on the Aztec treasure." Elizabeth said. "I fear something's happened. You have to take me to him."

Jack turned back around and placed his hand on top of his sword handle.

"Aye, there it is. If you'll be wanting him rescued, best do it alone, lass." Jack said.

"Alone? Really, Jack?" Elizabeth said. "Sail to the island and take on the cursed pirates?"

"Well, if any lass could..."

"Are you sure he's in trouble?" Sora said.

"No. Not certain. But he's been gone too long." Elizabeth said. "I wanted to go with him, but he insisted I stay here. I can't just sit and wait! I've got to know if he's all right."

"Lucky man..." Jack said.

"Please, Jack. Take me to him!"

"Hold a moment. I see no profit in it for me."

"Once a pirate, always a pirate." I mumbled.

"I shall reward you. Of course... you do owe Will. He has saved your life before." Elizabeth said.

"Right. Shall we?" Jack said.

* * *

><p>We sailed along the blackened sea to the Isla de Muerta. Things seemed quiet, like the calm before a storm.<p>

"Interceptor off the starboard bow!" Goofy called.

We ran to the side of the ship and saw the Interceptor cruising alongside us. Will leaned against the railing, unconscious.

"Will!" Elizabeth called, but there was no response. Jack put a hand over his heart and bowed his head. "Stop that, Jack! We've got to rescue him!"

* * *

><p>"Will, wake up!" Elizabeth said, holding Will in her arms and lightly slapping his face.<p>

Will jolted awake. "Elizabeth..." he said.

"What happened?" Elizabeth said.

"The medallions... and... the stone chest- someone's taken them..." Will said. "Next thing I knew, we were attacked... but I couldn't see who it was- his face was shrouded... in a black hood."

"The Organization!" Callum scowled.

"We found a way out of the cave, but the villain sent a horde of terrible creatures after us... I've never seen their likes before... I think I'm the only one who made it back to the ship..."

"Will..." Elizabeth said.

"Elizabeth... I feel rather..."

Will's voice trailed off as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Elizabeth propped Will up against the table and stood up.

"Our turn, guys." Sora said.

"You'd best go prepared. We've no idea what's out there." Elizabeth said.

"Pardon me, lads and lasses, but your captain will have no monsters today. Thank ye. We're turning for home." Jack said. He turned around and headed for the outside.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that!"

"Wait a minute, Jack!" I called.

We followed him. Jack opened up the doors to the upper deck and stopped.

"Don't remember invitin' you." he said.

A portal of darkness appeared and a man in a black coat came out, standing next to the stone chest with the Aztec gold.

"The Organization!" I said, summoning Chaos Ripper.

"We'll handle this!" Sora said, summoning Kingdom Key.

The man held out his hand.

"The darkness of men's hearts- drawn to these cursed medallions; and this Heartless-" the man said. A Grim Reaper Heartless appeared behind the man. "...a veritable maelstrom of avarice: I wonder, are they worthy to serve Organization XIII?"

"And you want an answer now?" Jack said.

"Precisely!"

The man disappeared. The Grim Reaper came at us and swung its pendulum axe around. I raised my Keyblade and blocked the attack, but the force caused me to slide back a few feet.

"Hey, Sora..." I said. "Now would be a good time to use any of your magic drive forms!"

"Oh. Right!" Sora said.

He brought his hand to his heart and clenched it. There was a flash and his clothes were now yellow, gray, and black with crosses on his sleeves and the bottoms of his shorts. Guardian Soul appeared in his left hand. He sent a barrage of Fira at the Grim Reaper. As the Heartless scurried around, trying to bat away the flames, I shoved a crate down the ship. It slammed into the Heartless and it went toppling over the railing into the water.

"Oh boy!" Donald said.

"It's not over yet!" Callum said.

We faced the mysterious man, striking our battle stances. He reached up and took off his hood. His platinum-blond hair was cut very short and the color matched the mustache and goatee he had on his face. His eyes were electric blue. On each ear, the man had two hoop piercings and one of the Nobody symbol.

_Luxord._

"Throw him overboard!" Jack said.

"Aye aye!" Sora said.

"Parley!" Luxord called.

"'Scuse me?" Jack said.

"Barley?" Goofy said.

"It's a bit of a pirates' code. Anyone who invokes "parley" must not be harmed 'til negotiations are complete."

"Negotiations?!" Callum said.

"This is no time for rules!" Sora said.

"True. But as we're honorable pirates we should always stick to the Code."

"Excuse me, but _I_ am not a pirate." I said, gripping Chaos Ripper.

"All right, you. Out with it." Jack said to Luxord.

"I surrender the chest with my humblest apologies." Luxord said. Callum scoffed beside me.

"Rather accommodating of you, mate. And for that you want...?"

"Just a few souvenirs... for the memories."

Luxord grabbed four medallions from the chest and tossed them into the air. Four Gamblers appeared, grabbed the medallions, and took off.

"Oh, no! We can't stop the curse unless we got all the medallions!" Goofy said.

"Our friend's about to learn what it means to cross a pirate." Jack said, reaching for his sword.

"Now can I hurt him?" Callum said, summoning Omega Weapon. A vicious staring contest happened between him and Luxord.

"Oh?" the Organization smirked.

Suddenly, the ship lurched to the side and rumbled violently. The Grim Reaper emerged from the sea, overcome with the features of one who was cursed by the Aztec treasure.

"Sora! Hallie! He's yours!" Jack said.

The Grim Reaper swung its pendulum axe around, creating a huge gust of wind. We tried to block it, but it was too powerful. We were thrown back onto the Interceptor. I jumped to my feet and ran to the railing.

"FIRE!" Luxord shouted.

"Hallie! Look out!" a voice shouted.

As the cannons boomed, a force tackled me to the ground and loomed over me, protecting me from the debris that rained down. The ship exploded.

* * *

><p>I woke up to the cold chill of water rising and falling. I sat up and gasped as I looked around. I saw nothing but rock and the destroyed remains of the Interceptor. I looked around at everyone, and we all saw that Jack was once again undead.<p>

"Jack, did you take a medallion again?" I said.

"Were I only that fortunate..." Jack said.

"Fortunate?" Donald said.

"So, uh, how come you're all skeleton-y?" Goofy said.

"Perhaps I got a touch o' something from that monster what attacked us." Jack said. "Yet, why's the skin restin' right on you mates?"

"'Cause we're not greedy!" Donald said, placing his hands on his hips proudly. We stared at him. "What're you looking at?!"

"That doesn't answer the question." Callum said.

Jack turned around and walked into the shade. He returned to his regular self.

"Gawrsh, maybe the reason we're all okay is because we're not from this world." Goofy said.

"Uh, I don't know about that..." Donald said.

We turned to follow Donald's line of sight.

"Sora!" Goofy cried.

Sora leaned against a crate now diminished to a pile of wood chunk, unconscious. His skin was covered in cuts that leaked blood. His clothes were tattered and little pieces of wood peeked out from the fabric. I could see hints of skin on his arms that came in contact with fire, as they were reddened with burns.

"Sora!" Donald cried, jumping on his stomach.

Sora jolted awake and looked around.

"Whoa... what happened?" Sora said, gripping his head.

"What happened to YOU?" I said.

Sora felt the cut that scarred his lip and leaned his head against the crate.

"I, um... guess I got most of the beating from that Organization guy." Sora said.

His eyes met mine, I knew there was more behind that sentence. My eyes widened when I remembered the scene that took place moments ago. It was Sora that shielded me from the ship's explosion. But why would he put himself in danger to protect me?

Donald and I cast Cura on Sora. We watched his wounds close up and his clothing sew back to normal. Sora stood up and stretched. I stepped beside him and gently touched his arm.

"Thank you." I whispered.

He didn't look at me, but a small smile grew on his face.

"Quit yammering, mates. We've got to find ourselves a ship that'll float." Jack said.

* * *

><p>As we climbed through the Interceptor ruins, something about this place seemed familiar to me.<p>

"Look!" Donald cried.

We turned to see a Gambler floating over ship debris, casually tossing a medallion in its hand.

"It's got a medallion!" I said. "We've gotta get it back!"

The Gambler moved around rapidly and no attack or spell could hit it in time. I huffed a breath of frustration and raised my Keyblade.

"Gather!" I cried.

An orb of magnetic force appeared. The Gambler swirled around in the orb, unable to break free. Callum jumped up and swiped with Omega Weapon. The Nobody vanished and the medallion fell to the ground. Jack walked over to the medallion and picked it up.

"Three more to go." Jack said.

"How do you know?" Sora said.

"A pirate must have a keen eye. Else he won't be sailin' free for very long. Savvy?"

Donald squawked. "What's that?"

We looked to see a ship sailing towards us. Not just any ship. The Black Pearl. Elizabeth waved from the railing.

"Ahoy, mateys!" she cried.

"Ridiculous imitation- and yet, I'm flattered." Jack said.

We boarded the ship, where Elizabeth and Will greeted us.

"Jack, what happened?! This is horrible!" Elizabeth said.

"Ah, but who's to blame for it, eh?" Jack said.

"Well, it certainly isn't Elizabeth." Will said.

"It's Organization XIII." Sora said. "They're the ones behind it all."

"Wonder where they went?" Goofy said.

"The hooded man took the pirates and his creatures with him into some strange hole. We saw them leave from inside the captain's stateroom." Will said.

"Did it occur to you to fight them, mate?" Jack said.

"With what?" I said.

"I'm no fool. I'm no match for them." Will said.

"That I believe." Jack said.

"Sora, I think we'll need your help."

"Got it." Sora said.

"First, let's find all the medallions. Otherwise, the curse can't be broken and the creatures will remain invincible."

"That better happen soon." I said. "If I have to look at undead Jack much longer, I think I'll throw up."

* * *

><p>We sailed to the Ship Graveyard and found one of the medallions. The other two we found in the Isla de Muerta.<p>

"That's four medallions! We got 'em all!" Sora said, holding the medallions in his hand.

"But where's the chest?" Jack said.

"If we find the hooded man, we'll find it." Will said.

"Prob'ly in Port Royal." Sora said.

"Why's that?" Elizabeth said.

"Organization XIII is after people's hearts. So they're gonna go wherever there's lots of people."

"They'll hurt the townsfolk?" Will said.

"No, they're bringin' 'em flowers, mate." Jack said.

"Wow, this guy's sarcasm almost surpasses yours." Callum said. I elbowed him in the stomach.

"I don't know who these Organizers are, but I will say they're makin' we pirates look like proper gents!"

"Well, Jack... then... we have to help!" Will said.

"Then let go and haul to run free!"

"Huh?" I said.

* * *

><p>We docked in Port Royal and ran to the outskirts of the town. There, the Grim Reaper loomed beside the stone chest.<p>

"Go. He's for me." Jack said.

Jack ran off in the opposite direction, leading the Grim Reaper after him. We ran to the stone chest. Sora put the medallions back into the chest. The Grim Reaper turned back to normal.

"The curse- it's gone!" Donald said.

But Jack was still undead.

"But why isn't Jack back to normal?" I said.

"Aw, I understand." Goofy said. "Jack musta been cursed by that monster, not from takin' the gold."

"Oh, I've no worries, then." Jack said.

"It's okay, Jack. We'll just have to defeat the monster, that's all." Sora said.

The Grim Reaper lunged at us and swung its pendulum axe at us. We jumped out of the way. It swiped its axe against the chest and collected some of the gold. The Grim Reaper turned into its cursed self.

"Get the gold!" Jack said.

We attacked the Grim Reaper. Attacks weren't doing anything, so we used magic. We returned the gold to the chest and after the Grim Reaper returned to normal, we attacked it. The Grim Reaper flew away from us and began to suck the gold into its body. I ran forward and grabbed its axe, shoving the Heartless away. As the Heartless floated up in the air, I spun around and chucked the axe in the direction of it. Gold rained down to the ground. We placed the gold back into the chest. The Grim Reaper dropped its axe and fell to the ground. Jack was back to his human self.

"All better." Sora said.

"Ah, not quite, mate." Jack said.

The Heartless disappeared. We watched the Heart fly over to Luxord. He snatched it.

"Sora, Hallie... Callum. Bravo." Luxord said.

We ran over to him, but he disappeared in darkness.

"Just who was that chap?" Jack said.

"He's part of an Organization that's collecting hearts." Sora said. "First, they release Heartless into different worlds. We defeat those Heartless. Then they get the hearts. We're never gonna stop 'em like this..."

I laid a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"But we will stop them." I said. "I promise."

"What's the plan, then?" Jack said.

"We've gotta find their stronghold and finish them off once and for all." Sora said.

"Although we don't really know where this "stronghold" is..." I said.

"Sailin' these waters, I've heard some tales, but not a one like this." Jack said.

"Is there anyway we can help?" Will said.

Sora crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"Anything at all?" Elizabeth said.

"There is." Jack said.

* * *

><p>"One... two... three!" Jack said.<p>

We chucked the cursed chest over the ship's railing and watched it sink like a rock into the depths of the sea.

"It's certain we don't need the likes of that hooded fellow and the Heartless about. They'll ruin the market for us true pirates." Jack said.

"So that's why you went to Port Royal." Elizabeth said. "And we thought you actually wanted to save everyone!"

"A pirate always looks to profit, Miss Swann."

"Too bad. You had us going there, thinking you'd turned over a new leaf." Sora said.

"The question is, what's beyond the leaf? Savvy?"

"Uh... sure?" I said.

"Oh... oh, yes- a reward. And what'll it be?" Elizabeth said.

"Those lovely blades that Sora and Hallie have."

"Huh?" Sora and I said. We looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay. Sure." Sora said.

We summoned our Keyblades, flipped them around, and offered the handles to him.

"Hold on! That was far too easy. What's the rub?" Jack said.

Jack walked over and hesitantly took our Keyblades. As he examined them, a few seconds later, they disappeared from his hands in a flash of light and reappeared in ours.

"There, you see?" Jack said.

"Well, you've always got the Pearl, Jack." Sora said.

"That I do. But someday, I'll gather a blood-thirsty crew, and come to take those blades. Chance by then I'll have the way to wield it."

"That'll be the day." I chuckled.

Jack turned to Elizabeth and Will.

"And if I succeed, I'll ask you two to join me. That'd be reward enough."

"Maybe someday, Jack'll be able to use the Keyblade after all." Goofy said.

"Why's that?" Donald said.

"A-hyuck! He and Sora are kind of alike, dontcha think?"

"Are not!" Jack and Sora cried.

"Once a pirate, always a pirate." I giggled.

* * *

><p>"Some say Jack Sparrow's the worst pirate ever to sail the Spanish Main." Will said.<p>

"No one could really mean that." Elizabeth said.

"Right. We know he's the best."

"I hope we'll get to see him again." Sora said.

"Who are you guys talking to?" I said.

"Oh, uh, nobody."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang returned to the world of pirates to fight alongside Jack Sparrow, Will, and Elizabeth! The curse of the Aztec treasure continues due to the Organization XIII member, Luxord, and the Heartless! Sora learned Master Form and the group defeats the Grim Reaper and breaks the curse. **

**But why did Sora protect Hallie as Luxord ordered the destruction of the Interceptor?  
><strong>

***I will begin adding author's notes to the end of my chapters as summaries and other information pertaining to the story and that chapter, as well as thought-provoking questions to get you pumped for future content! Starting at the first chapter, I will begin adding notes with at least one updated chapter per day. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!*  
><strong>


	31. Swim This Way

**CHAPTER THIRTY ONE**

"It's that weird reading from before. See, I knew it wasn't a glitch!" Chip said.

"Yeah! But it's still all cloudy and kinda fuzzy." Dale said.

"Think it could be something serious?" I said.

"Who knows?" Sora said.

"Hmm... Well, we know one thing for sure." Chip said.

"What's that?" Dale said.

"Whenever Sora, Hallie, Donald, and Goofy go out and help folks, the reading gets stronger!"

"Gee, I wonder why..."

"Hey, Sora, Hallie. We're gonna try to find out more about this reading."

"And while we do, you fellahs just keep on questin'!"

"We really are countin' on you guys!" Chip and Dale said in unison.

"Roger that." I said and I chuckled. "I've always wanted to say that."

* * *

><p>The Gummi Ship launched us straight under water.<p>

"Whoa!" I said, lazily stumbling through water. I accidentally took a deep breath, but I was surprised to be perfectly fine. "What kind of world is this?"

I looked down and cried out. My legs were gone. In its place was a purple mermaid tail. My torso was covered by a shiny gold tank top. My waterfall braid was taken out and my side bangs were now down and swept over the right side of my face. I patted down my hair, but it still floated out a little when I stayed still. My black charm floated calmly around my neck.

"Oh boy! Under the sea, again!" Donald paddled through the waters with his six purple tentacles.

"Uh-huh!" Goofy, now a turtle, floated lazily on his dark green shell.

"What kind of Heartless would want to invade a world like this?" I said. I swam forward, but I flipped over and upside down.

"Heartless that know how to swim." Sora said in my upside down view. His legs were gone as well and replaced by a shark tail. His shirt, however, was gone as well, leaving his chest bare.

I cleared my throat and looked away to Callum. He had a yellow merman tail and he studied some of the sea plants that lined the bottom floor. He was shirtless also. He looked over at me.

"Hey, Hallie, why are you blushing?" he said.

"Uh- no reason." I said, covering my cheeks and swimming right-side up again.

A crab, a yellow fish, and a woman with long red hair, a green mermaid tail, and a purple shell top swam over to us.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" the woman said.

"Uh... hi, there." Sora said, awkwardly floating in one place.

"Aw, forget how to swim again?" Ariel said.

"Again?" I said, crossing my arms.

"It's not an easy thing to do!" Sora said, crossing his arms.

"Den youse got to practice! You follow Flounder- he show you what to do." the crab said.

"Come on, Sora. You can do it!" Flounder said.

* * *

><p>After getting the hang of swimming around, I introduced me and Callum to the woman. Her name was Ariel, and the crab was Sebastian.<p>

"Now, den. What brings you to de sea?" Sebastian said. "Is something wrong?"

"Kind of." Sora said.

"But everything SEEMS peaceful." Goofy said.

"Oh, everything's fine... as long as Daddy's in a good mood." Ariel said.

"Daddy?" I said.

"King Triton."

"Hey, we got us a concert very soon." Sebastian said. "Why don't you sing in my musical extravaganza?"

"Sing?" I said. "Um, thanks but no thanks..."

"Aw, please say yes! Ariel's been actin' strange lately. But she might settle down and practice if you're dere, too."

"That sounds fun!" Donald said.

"Let's give it a shot!" Sora said.

"Wha- Sora!" I said.

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun!" Callum said.

"Callum!" I said. I let out breath of frustration and crossed my arms. "I'll just stand by and watch."

"Excellent!" Sebastian said. "Now, I teach you everything I know."

"Er, what do we have to do?" Sora said.

"It's easy!"

* * *

><p>"All you gotta do is feel de rhythm!" Sebastian said. "Hear de beat and put a little shake in it! Ready? Let's go!"<p>

Sora danced around, did a flip, and posed.

"Great! Okay, Donald. Your turn. You do just like Sora. Den he see what you got."

Donald danced around, did a flip, and posed.

"Dat's great! Goofy, it's you, now. You think you can do better?"

Goofy swayed around, did a side flip, and posed.

"Dat's it! Dis time you gonna dance with Ariel! Remember, don't miss de beat!"

Sora and Ariel danced together. They spun around and posed.

"Dat's it! Now we jammin' with de bubbles! Callum! Show your stuff! De rules is de same- you gotta stick to de beat."

Callum swam over, and at the beat, he snapped his fingers and the bubbles popped.

"Dat's right! You got it!"

I covered my mouth to keep myself from laughing.

"Dat's all dere is to it." Sebastian said.

"Gawrsh, I don't know..." Goofy said.

"Any time you wanna sing in a music masterpiece, you just come see me."

* * *

><p>I sat next to the podium Sebastian stood on.<p>

"Are ya ready?" Sebastian said.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us, Hallie?" Callum said.

"I'm good down here." I said.

"Break a fin!" Sebastian said.

"Here goes nothing." Sora said.

The music began.

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

"Oh my." I whispered to myself.

"Let the music move you! You can do it!" Sebastian said as he conducted.

_Don't be shy, let the music inside_

_And dance, dance, dance!_

"See, you can do it!"

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

"Watch the stage, now! How exciting!"

_See the sign? Can you reach in time_

_And tap, tap, tap?_

Sora took his Keyblade and tapped a large oyster. It opened, revealing a fish playing coral maracas.

"Yeah, that's it, mon!"

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

Dolphins swam from both sides and swim in a circle upwards to a blank stone chandelier.

"And if you can't reach the target, use magic!"

_It's all the same, if you've got steady aim_

_Just zap, zap, zap!_

Sora flipped his Keyblade in the water and shot a ball of lightning at the stones. They lit up, casting a golden color.

"There, you got the rhythm now!"

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

Jellyfish bobbed along Oompa-Loompa style and wave-style to the music. Donald danced with an octopus and Goofy danced with Flounder.

"It's not over yet! You can do it- keep going!"

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

"Now, what about the bubbles?"

_Just a touch, 'cause it won't take too much_

_To pop, pop, pop!_

Sora and Callum flew through the bubbles. As they popped, they did a flip and continued swimming.

"Ha ha! On to the next one!"

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

"Drum solo! Here's the sign. Give him the cue!"

_Count him in so he'll know to begin_

_To drum, drum, drum!_

"Now the cues are up to you."

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

"Here's your big moment! Make 'em cheer!"

_Don't dilly-dally, it's your big finale_

_Sha-la-la!_

Ariel and Sora spun around in a circle, posing as they faced the front, then swam alongside each other and posed again.

"You made quite a splash! That was fantastic!"

_Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now_

_It's very easy, come on in_

_Just take a chance and shake a fin_

I giggled to myself as I could now hear Sora, Donald (especially Donald), Goofy, and Callum singing along.

_Swim along, just join in the song_

_A musical for everyone to have a lot of finny fun..._ Ariel sung in a solo.

At the last beat, everyone posed.

"Wonderful! Fantastic!" Sebastian cried, excitedly throwing his baton in the air.

"Bravo. Simply amazing." I said through a flurry of giggles and slow-clapping.

"You guys were amazing!" Ariel said to the four boys.

"Hey! I wanna sing more lines!" Donald said.

Ariel giggled, but then her smile faded. She turned around and swam away as two men swam over to us. One was an elder man with a blue merman tail, a long white beard that mixed in with his long, white hair, a crown on his head, and a trident in his hand. The boy next to him had blond messy hair, crystal blue eyes, and a green merman tail. He had a strange medallion around his neck with a trident symbol and he carried a black staff. At the end of the staff were two small pitchfork-like spikes that curved inward and had white tips. Neither of them wore shirts.

_Do ALL the men here lack upper body clothing?_ I crossed my arms.

"Your Majesty! We have visitors!" Sebastian said.

"King Triton!" Sora said.

"I certainly hope there hasn't been a need to use that Keyblade of yours." Triton said.

"Other than to light stones and pop bubbles? Not really, no." I said.

King Triton shifted his eyes to me.

"Oh, this is Hallie and Callum." Sora said. "They're Keyblade wielders too."

"I see..." Triton said.

The blond-haired boy stared at me with wide eyes. I crossed my arms and stared back.

"This is Ren, my royal bodyguard." Triton said. Ren bowed quickly and continued to stare at me. I looked away.

"Your Majesty, our guests, dey wanna sing in de musical." Sebastian said.

"Well, that sounds like a splendid idea." Triton said.

"Um, just to make it clear, it's THEM that are in, not me." I said. "As tempting as it is..."

"We may need your help after all... You see, I'm afraid Ariel's still infatuated with the human world. A busy rehearsal schedule might be just the thing she needs to stop thinking about life up on the surface."

* * *

><p>"Ariel?" Sebastian said. Ariel ignored him and stared up at the top of the water. Sebastian turned around and held his head in his claws. "Dat girl's acting strange again. Probably been flittin' around on da surface... Ohhh, da Sea King's gonna have my claws for dis!"<p>

"C'mon, we gotta keep rehearsing!" Sora said.

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel like it." Ariel said.

Ariel swam off.

"No! Ariel!" Sebastian said.

"I've got an idea, Sebastian!" Flounder said.

"You do?!"

"I know how to cheer Ariel up! C'mon, follow me!"

Flounder turned around and swam off.

* * *

><p>"Over here!" Flounder said.<p>

He led us to a shipwrecked ship. There were chunks of debris spread out on the sand floor. Under a large boulder was a statue of a man.

"See..." Flounder said.

Sebastian swam over to the statue.

"Oh, no! Dis must be from de human world!" he cried.

"I found it after that storm- And I bet it's from a shipwreck." Flounder said.

"What gave it away?" I said, staring at the rotting ship remains.

"Don't ya think Ariel's gonna love it?"

"But if de Sea King finds out about dis..." Sebastian said.

"It's better than going to the surface!" Donald said.

"C'mon, help me move it." Sora said.

We tried our best to move the boulder, but it was too heavy and wouldn't budge.

"It's no use." Sora grunted.

I stepped back and looked at the boulder. I tapped a finger on my chin.

"Oh, I know!" I said.

I summoned my Keyblade and cast Magnet on the statue. It flew out from under the boulder and laid in the sand.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang have arrived in the magical and musical underwater world of Atlantica! The reunite with Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder. There's no sign of Heartless disrupting the peace of the world, so the gang has the opportunity to be a part of Sebastian's musical extravaganza! After their first rehearsal, they run into King Triton and his royal bodyguard, Ren, who seems to take great interest in Hallie. It seems Ariel is infatuated with the human world, and Triton wants Hallie and the gang to try and keep her busy with the musical, but she's not in the mood to do anything but swim around in a distant and depressed daze. Flounder thinks he has the solution: to bring Ariel a statue of a man he found after a ship sank in a recent storm.  
><strong>

**What is up with that Ren kid?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**

*****I _STROOOONGLY_ advise you guys to go back and skim through previous chapters, such as chapters 3 and 8. I've added some new content that's super important to the story's plot! Thank you!*****


	32. Part of Your World

**CHAPTER THIRTY TWO**

We found Ariel and took her to her grotto, where we presented the statue found at the shipwreck. She gasped and smiled when she saw it.

"It's a pretty cool statue, huh?" Sora said.

"It looks like some kinda prince." Donald said.

"A prince?!" Ariel said.

Music began to play.

"I'm getting dragged into this, aren't I?" I said.

"Yup." everyone said.

Ariel reached down and picked up a fork and set it in a candelabra.

_Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?_

_Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?_

_Wouldn't you think I'm the girl_

_The girl who has everything?_

Sora circled around a globe and it began to spin.

_Look at this trove, treasures untold?_

_How many wonders can one cavern hold?_

Goofy approached a box and tapped it open with his nose.

_Looking around here you'd think..._

_"Sure, she's got everything."_

Donald knocked on a Jack-in-the-box. It sprung open and startled him. He whirled around and paddled away.

_I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty._

_I've got whozits and whatzits galore._

Ariel came up to Flounder and opened a box filled with corkscrews.

_You want thing-a-ma-bobs? I got twenty._

Ariel closed the box and set it down. She swam upward.

_But who cares? No big deal._

Ariel spun around in between two bubbles, which popped to the music.

_I want more._

Ariel came over to me and we gazed at a music box with a man and a woman dancing together. I tapped it and they spun around slowly.

_I want to be where the people are._

_I want to see, wanna see 'em dancin'_

Goofy swam up and Ariel played with his back fins. Sebastian sighed.

_Walking around on those_

_What do you call 'em? Oh, "feet"._

Ariel swam upwards, flipping backwards in the process. When she got to the top, she reached up to the murky sun rays that gleamed through the water.

_Up where they walk, up where they run..._

_Up where they stay all day in the sun._

Ariel floated down to the bottom of the grotto.

_Wandering free, wish I could be..._

_Part of that world._

Ariel floated to the statue, gazed at it, then looked up.

* * *

><p>"I hate to admit it, but that was actually pretty fun." I said.<p>

"So does that mean you want to join us in the musical?" Sora said.

I tapped my chin on my finger and sighed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt..."

"Yay!" Donald cried as he backflipped.

We turned to Ariel, who floated before the statue and gazed up at it with a smile.

"Ariel... We're here to help you, you know." Sora said, but she remained silent and entranced.

Sebastian floated up to us.

"Oh, no- you stay out of it!" he said.

"Look who's talking!"

"Yeah! You were gonna tell her dad about it!" Donald said.

"What am I gonna do?" Sebastian whined.

* * *

><p>"Maybe getting that statue for Ariel wasn't the smartest idea..." I said, glancing at Ariel. "She's been staring at that piece of stone for, what, half an hour?"<p>

"This is terrible! We've got to do something." Sora said.

"She can't be in a musical like that." Goofy said.

"I'll sing her part instead!" Donald said.

"NO." we all cried.

"What? Why not?!"

"Hey, it's Sebastian." Goofy said.

Sebastian swam over with a rolled up scroll.

"Dis will never work..." Sebastian muttered.

"What's up?" Sora said.

"I've composed a perfect song for de musical, but I think its gonna be too complicated for you."

"Aw, c'mon! How hard can it be?"

Sebastian handed us the paper and we skimmed through it.

"This?" I said. "Piece of cake. We can handle it."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang delivers the statue to Ariel, who falls in love with it the moment she sees it. Hallie finally gets sucked into joining Sebastian's musical. But now the gang has another problem: giving Ariel the statue has made her even _more_ obsessed with the human world. Sebastian gives the gang a new song for his musical, so it's back to rehearsing!**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**

***Because this chapter is so short, and because I love you all so much, I'm posting two chapters!***


	33. Under the Sea

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

The sun's setting cast an orange shade over the waters. Sebastian jumped onto some clams. As he drummed on them, they created a calypso-like sound. Maracas were added.

_The seaweed is always greener_

_In somebody else's lake._ Sora sang.

_You dream about going up there..._

_But that is a big mistake! _

_Just look at the world around you_

_Right here on the ocean floor._

_Such wonderful things around you!  
><em>

_What more is you looking for? _

_Under the sea, under the sea... _Sebastian sang before crashing into the wall.

_Darling, it's better down where it's wetter_

_Take it from me!_ Sora sang.

_Up on the shore, they work all day,_

_Out in the sun they slave away..._

_While we devoting full time to floating..._

_Under the sea!_ Sebastian said.

"Now's your turn, Hallie." Callum said. "Don't ruin it!"

"Wha-?" I said, but the music break was ending.

_Under the sea, under the sea._

_Since life is sweet here, we got the beat here,_

_naturally._ I sang. Three snails harmonized with me.

_Even the sturgeon and the ray..._ Sora sang.

_They get the urge and start to play._ Ariel sang.

_We got the spirit, you got to hear it..._

_Under the sea! _Sebastian sang.

The music kicked up half a step. I swam around some bubbles and they popped at the beat.

_Under the sea, under the sea._ We all sang.

_When the sardine begin the beguine_

_It's music to me!_ Ariel sang.

Sora and I swam over to a geyser. We tapped it with our Keyblades and water came gushing out of it.

_What do they got, a lot of sand?_

_We got a hot crustacean band._ Sebastian sang.

_Each little clam here_

_Know how to jam here..._ Ariel sang.

_Under the sea!_ Sebastian sang.

_Each little bug here_

_Cutting a rug here_

_Under the sea._ Sora and Ariel sang as they danced together. Sora laughed.

_Each little snail here... _Sebastian sang.

_Know how to wail here... _I sang.

_That's why it's hotter... _Sora sang.

_Under the water._ Ariel sang.

_Ya, we in luck here,_

_Down in the muck here..._ Sebastian sang.

_Under the sea!_ We all sang.

* * *

><p>"Wow, you're a really good singer, Hallie." Sora said.<p>

"Um... thanks." I mumbled awkwardly.

"So what do you think, Ariel?" Sebastian said.

"Oh, I think it's a great song, Sebastian." Ariel said. "It's just... it's not what I wanna sing."

Sebastian gasped as Ariel turned around and swam over to us.

"I wanna sing about... how our two worlds can live in harmony- land and sea together!"

"Da Sea King would make chowder outta me if you sang a song like dat!"

"If you won't listen, then I'm not going to sing at all."

Ariel turned around and swam away.

"A-Ariel!" Sora called.

We swam after her.

* * *

><p>We followed Ariel to the surface of the water.<p>

"Oh!" Ariel cried.

On the shore, we saw a man with black hair, blue eyes, and dressed in a white long sleeved shirt and blue pants approach the sea.

"Is that him?" Sora said.

"Uh-huh." Ariel said.

"Let's say something!" Donald said.

"I can give you five reasons why that would be a bad idea." I said, tugging on one of Donald's tentacles.

"And besides... he's a human and I'm a mermaid. I... I don't know what he'd think." Ariel said.

As the man walked away, something dropped out of his pocket.

"What's that?" Ariel said.

We swam over to the shore. A medallion was swept away in the currents and wedged itself between two rocks.

"Oh! It must be his!" Ariel said.

"But we can't reach it..." Goofy said.

"_You_ might not be able to, Mr. Turtle Fins..." I said, summoning my Keyblade. "But magic can!"

I used my Magnet magic to pull the medallion out from the rocks.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The hope of snapping Ariel out of her daydream by singing Sebastian's new song backfires, and Ariel threatens to not be the musical unless he complies with her demands. Hallie and the gang follows Ariel up to the surface and sees the man Ariel has fallen for. As he walks away, he drops a medallion in the ocean and the gang retrieves it. Now they've got to find a way to return it to him.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	34. Ursula's Revenge

**CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR**

"This is great, Sora. I know he'll be happy to have this back." Ariel said.

"And just who is this "he"?" We gasped and turned around as we saw King Triton and Ren floating towards us.

"Daddy!"

"Ariel, you know how dangerous humans are!" Triton said.

"They're not dangerous! In fact, we-" I said, but Callum covered my mouth with his hand.

"We're not supposed to tell them that!" he whispered.

"You don't even know him!" Ariel said. "Oh, Daddy, you've told me that you don't trust humans. But they can't ALL be as bad as you say. And I'm- well, I'm going to prove it to you!"

"So help me Ariel, I am going to get through to you." Triton said. "And if this is the only way... so be it! Ren, destroy that statue!"

"Daddy, no!"

Ren's staff began to glow yellow. After a moment of hesitation, he pointed it at the statue and a huge thunderbolt shot out and struck the statue. The statue exploded, and we ducked away as giant stone debris hurtled at us.

"No!" Ariel cried. She turned to her father with a nasty look of betrayal. She swam past him and out of the grotto. We followed behind her.

King Triton turned to Ren.

"Ren? You seemed troubled." Triton said.

Ren stared down the stone hole that led out of the grotto.

"Well, sir... It's just that... that girl, Hallie..." Ren said.

King Triton raised his eyebrow at Ren. Ren's eyes widened.

"N-not like that-!"

"I understand, Ren." King Triton said. "I want you to follow Ariel and the others."

"Y-yes, King Triton."

King Triton clapped Ren on the back and Ren swam out of the grotto.

* * *

><p>"Poor Ariel." I said, holding my hands together behind my back. "All she wanted was to have a taste of the human world."<p>

"I bet Sebastian ratted us out." Donald grumbled.

"Sora! Hallie!" a voice called.

I turned around and scowled. I summoned Chaos Ripper as Ren swam over to us.

"What do _you_ want?" I said, pointing my Keyblade at him.

Ren looked at me in surprise, but then he shook it off.

"Ariel is in trouble." Ren said. "Do you know Ursula?"

"Ursula? The sea witch?" Sora said. "I thought we'd already seen the last of her!"

"Well, obviously not. I saw her talking to Ariel. Flounder and Sebastian are there as well. I need your help."

"Why don't you ask your King to help you?" I scoffed.

"He's not my King!" Ren snapped.

"Huh?" we all said.

"Nevermind. Please, come with me."

* * *

><p>We followed Ren to the Undersea Courtyard. Sebastian and Flounder swam past us.<p>

"Sora, Ren, please! You've got to stop her, mon!" Sebastian cried.

"Wait!" Sora cried.

Ursula, the sea witch, turned around and smirked. Ursula raised her arms and a whirlpool swirled around her and Ariel. Sora summoned his Keyblade and tried to swim forward, but the whirlpool sent him back. We watched as Ariel's voice was extracted from her and trapped inside a shell Ursula held in her hands. As the whirlpool subsided, Ariel thrashed around in the water, dressed in a tattered beige dress. She clutched her throat and kicked her legs, struggling for breath.

"She can't breathe!" I cried.

Sora and I swam forward, grabbed Ariel's hands, and swam her up to the surface.

* * *

><p>We laid Ariel on the shore and hid behind a rock nearby. We watched the man, Eric, walk up the shore and he saw Ariel.<p>

"Wake up!" Eric said.

Ariel opened her eyes. When she saw Eric, she jumped up to her feet and fixed her hair. She opened her mouth and clutched her throat, remembering what she just did before.

"What's wrong?" Eric said. "You can't speak?"

Ariel shook her head and bowed her head.

"Where did you come from?"

Ariel glanced over into the sea and at us. Eric looked over as well, but Ariel turned his attention away and pointed towards the cove. She pulled out Eric's necklace.

"That's my pendant!" he said. "I-I can't believe you found it. Thank you. Please. Come with me. I want to help you."

* * *

><p>"Looks like it's going pretty well!" Sora said.<p>

"I don't know... if someone like Ursula is behind this, something bad is bound to happen." Callum said.

"Gawrsh, shouldn't we tell King Triton about this?" Goofy said.

"Absolutely not!" Sebastian said. "It would break his heart if he found out about dis!"

"Well, maybe, if he didn't ruin his daughter's life, this wouldn't have happened in the first place." I said, crossing my arms and side-glaring at Ren.

"I was just doing what I was told." Ren mumbled.

"Well then, what do we do?" Sora said.

"We gonna stay right here and take care of Ariel. Dat's what we gonna do." Sebastian said.

"I guess that's all we CAN do."

* * *

><p>We swam up to the surface. We saw Ariel and Eric walking along the shore. Ariel wore a blue dress with white long sleeves. Her hair was tied back with a blue bow.<p>

"So we just float here and watch?" Sora said.

"Have you got a better idea?" Sebastian said.

"We could make Ursula fix all of this."

"Hah! She ain't gonna bother wid you."

"Hey, you never know until you try!"

"Hmm... you may be right. It's gotta be better dan doing nothin'. Can I trust you to take care of Ursula?"

"Of course!"

"You can count on us!" I said.

* * *

><p>We couldn't find Ursula anywhere. Two days had gone by and the sea witch was nowhere to be found. We returned to the surface.<p>

"Hey, where's Sebastian?" Sora said.

"Uhh... oh... well..." Flounder said. "King Triton wanted him at the palace."

"I wonder if it's about Ariel." Goofy said.

"If King Triton finds out what happened, we're in hot water." Sora said. "Especially since we kept it a secret."

"You better not rat on us." I said to Ren. Ren held up his hands and made a zipper motion with his lips.

"What about Ursula?" Flounder said.

"She's gone." I said. "We search high and low for her. Nothing!"

"How's Ariel doing? She's only got until sunset tomorrow, right?" Sora said.

"Hey, look!" Flounder cried.

Ariel and Eric floated on a small paddle boat. It was quiet. They both leaned in. I covered my mouth with my hands to prevent a girlish squeal from escaping. Sora covered Flounder's eyes.

"I can't see!" Flounder squirmed.

As they were about to kiss, the boat suddenly lurched to the side. They fell back with Ariel clinging to Eric. At the side of the boat, Flotsam and Jetsam smirked.

"They're okay!" Flounder said.

"Man, they were so close..." Sora sighed.

"Well, I think we oughta get back to lookin' for Ursula." Goofy said.

"Yeah, good idea."

* * *

><p>We returned to the surface again the next day. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over the waters and sky.<p>

"No sign of Ursula anywhere..." Sora said.

"I wonder where that sea witch coulda gone?" Goofy said.

Donald squawked and looked to the shore. We saw Ariel sitting on the ground, curled up and crying. We swam over.

"Ariel's been crying for a long time." Flounder said.

"What happened?" I said.

_What would I give to live where you are?_

_What would I pay to stay here beside you?_

We saw Eric walking with a girl wearing a purple dress with long black hair. She was singing to him. His eyes were glazed and blank.

_What would I do to see you smiling at me?_

_Where would we walk? Where would we run?_

_If we could stay all day in the sun..._

"Hey, what's with the Prince?" Sora said.

"Hey, look!" Flounder said.

A shell necklace hung around the girl's neck.

_Just you and me, and I could be..._

_Part of your world._

"That's the shell that's holding Ariel's voice!" I said. "Then that means... that's Ursula!"

"Okay, that's it!" Sora said.

He summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at Ursula. A beam of light shot from the tip of the Keyblade. It hit the necklace. The shell tumbled in the air and landed shattered when it hit the ground. A ball of golden light floated in the air and made its way over to Ariel. Ariel sat up, held her throat, and laughed in relief. The glaze in Eric's eyes vanished.

"What... what happened?" Eric said.

"Eric!" Ariel cried.

Eric ran over to Ariel.

"You... you can talk..." Eric said. "You're the one... The girl who sang to me."

"Oh, Eric, I wanted to tell you." Ariel said.

"Of course! It was you! You're the one who... who saved me that night in the storm! Oh, Ariel. I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner. You're the one I love."

"Eric..." Ariel said.

"How romantic..." I swooned, holding my hands together.

"Not so fast!" Ursula, now back to her true sea witch form, stood up. "Do you see what I see?"

Ursula pointed to the horizon. The sun continued to set. Ursula cackled and crawled her way over to the two.

"You're too late!" Ursula cried.

She grabbed Ariel and the two dove into the sea.

"Ariel!" Eric cried.

* * *

><p>We chased after Ursula and Ariel.<p>

"Stop!" Sora said.

"Stay out of this, you fools!" Ursula said. "Triton's precious little daughter signed a contract! Now, dearie... let's see how beautiful you are when I'm through with you!"

"That contract's no good!" Sora said.

"Let her go!" a voice cried.

"Excuse me?!" Ursula said.

A golden beam hit the contract, sending Ursula crashing into a rock. King Triton floated there with Sebastian swimming behind him.

"Sir!" Ren cried.

"Now, now- even the great King Triton can't go around breaking binding contracts." Ursula said, holding up the still intact contract. "Why, it just wouldn't do, would it? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some loose ends to tie up."

"Wait, Ursula..." Triton said. "You win. Just promise you'll let my daughter go."

"But we had a deal- unless, of course, you're offering to take her place?"

"No, sir, don't do it!" Ren cried. He tried to swim forward, but I held him back.

"I'm afraid... I have no choice." Triton said.

He raised his trident. A beam shot out from the trident to the contract. Ariel's name was erased and in its place, King Triton's name was signed on the line. Ursula's chuckle turned into an all-out cackle. Light swirled around King Triton and he was turned into a polyp. Ursula reached down and picked up King Triton's trident.

"At last!" Ursula said.

"Daddy!" Ariel cried.

"Who's the "mighty ruler" of the seas now?"

"You- you monster! Let him go!"

A harpoon shot through the water, grazing Ursula's arm. She cried out and clutched her arm. We looked to see Eric floating in the water.

"Eric!" Ariel cried.

"How dare you! Pitiful, insignificant human!" Ursula cried.

As Eric swam up to shore, Flotsam and Jetsam chased after him, but we blocked their way.

"Hey! That's enough!" Sora said.

"Ha ha! Now you all bow to me!" Ursula cried.

* * *

><p>Ink began to cover the ocean floor, blocking our sight. As we swam to the surface, ominous music began to play.<p>

"Oh, don't tell me the boss battle will be a musical..." I grumbled.

Ursula emerged from the water, now one hundred times her original size.

_This witch is back to bring her wrath upon the sea_

_Triton can't be rid of me_

_Not that easily_

_And like all who dare defy me,_

_he will learn his lesson well:_

_Never toy with a girl like me._

We broke the ocean surface. Sora pointed at Ursula.

"You got what you deserved!" he said.

"You'll never win!" I said.

Flotsam and Jetsam circled around us. They disappeared underwater. I felt something wrap around my tail and yank me underwater. Flotsam wrapped himself around my arms and Jetsam around Sora as we were dragged deeper underwater.

_Flotsam and Jetsam!_

_Loyal darlings, strong as the tide_

Donald and Goofy swam underwater and knocked the eels off of us.

_Sweetest poopsies, hasten to my side._

"Poopsies?" I said.

_Right now! Mommy needs you._

_Crush those stupid fools,_

_make them writhe!_

Sora, Callum and I swam after them with our Keyblades drawn.

"I don't think so!" Callum said.

We swam through the waters after Flotsam and Jetsam, dodging Ursula's tentacles as they shot through the water. Sora cast Blizzara on the eels. As they floated around as eel-sicles, Callum and I swam forward. We slashed at them and they shattered to pieces.

"All right!" Sora said.

"This isn't over yet!" I said.

_What a feeble human._

_No, I can't believe my eyes_

_Such a stubborn royal_

_who is fighting for his prize._

_Without your precious mermaid_

_now you're crazy with revenge_

_I suppose I sympathize._

"I'm not gonna lose her!" Eric cried.

"Right! We're with you all the way!" Sora said.

We leaped up from the water over the paddle boat that Eric was in. Sora and I flipped in the air and pointed out Keyblades at Ursula. Beams of light shot towards her, but she blocked them with the trident.

_Flotsam and Jetsam!_

_Loyal darlings, _

_strong as the tide_

_Sweetest poopsies, _

_hasten to my side._

Donald and Goofy jumped up and slammed themselves into Ursula's face before diving back into the water.

_Right now! Mommy needs you._

_SMASH those stupid fools, make them writhe!_

"Sorry, Ursula, but your "poopsies" are no longer available." I said.

We came up to the surface, only to duck underwater as Ursula swung the trident at us.

_This is not the end, my dears_

_I swear I've just begun_

_It's not over until Ursula has won!_

* * *

><p>"That's what you think!" Sora cried.<p>

Sora, Callum and I jumped from the water, Keyblades drawn. As Ursula swung the trident at us, we struck her wrist. The trident flew out of her hands and she clutched her wrist. The trident flew through the air and landed in the paddle boat.

"No... it's not possible!" Ursula said.

"It's over, Ursula." I said.

"That belongs to me!" Ursula said, turning to Eric.

"All right, then- you can have it!" Eric cried.

He took the trident and chucked it through the air at Ursula. It shot through the air like a golden rocket. It stabbed right through Ursula, right through her heart. Ursula screamed as she sunk into the sea. Black ink rose from the water.

* * *

><p>"Ariel, it's all right." Eric said. "You can come out now."<p>

Ariel paused. She ducked underwater and jumped through the air, showing off her mermaid tail as she dove back under. Eric gasped.

"You see, Eric... this is why I went to Ursula." Ariel said.

"This can't be..." Eric said.

"I would have told you sooner..."

"To think..."

"Eric... goodbye."

"...I had all that time and I didn't work on my swimming."

"Huh?"

Eric dove into the water and swam over to Ariel.

"Well, I guess it's never too late to learn, right?" Eric said. "Will you teach me?"

"Oh, Eric!" Ariel said.

They embraced.

"All right!" Sora said.

"Looks like this story got the happy ending it deserved." I smiled.

* * *

><p>"Prince Eric's a great guy- and he's really brave, too." Sora said.<p>

"I know. I mean, facing a gigantic and powerful sea witch to protect the one he loves?" I sighed dreamily. "How romantic."

"Yes. But he IS a human." Sebastian said.

"Oh brother. Not again..." Donald said.

Ariel and Flounder came swimming up to us.

"How'd it go with your father, Ariel?" Sora said.

"Great! Thanks for your help." Ariel said. "I gotta go. I'll see you later!"

Ariel swam past us and up to the surface.

"Hey, wait..." Sora said.

"I almost forgot, Sebastian!" Flounder said. "King Triton said this year's festival is so important that the musical better be your best ever!"

"My best ever? Hmm..." Sebastian said.

"Sounds like you could use our help one more time." Callum said.

"All right, what's going on?" Sora said.

"You gotta do me a favor." Sebastian said.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**King Triton finds out about Ariel's shenanigans with the human world, so he destroys her statue. Hallie and the others go after the heartbroken mermaid, but they find out that Ursula got to her first and tricked her into signing a contract that traded her voice for legs! Ariel meets Prince Eric, and the gang watches over the two over the next couple of days, but nothing has happened! They decide to find Ursula and negotiate with her, but they can't find her anywhere. It turns out she transformed herself into a human and used Ariel's voice to hypnotize Eric into falling in love with her. Sora free Ariel's voice, but Ursula drags her back down into the depths of the sea. King Triton takes Ariel's place in the contract and turns himself into a shrivel-y polyp. Hallie and the others, along with Prince Eric, battle against and defeat Ursula and her eel pets, Flotsam and Jetsam. Despite the differences between them, Prince Eric and Ariel are able to finally get together.**

**But there's still one more thing the group has to take care of!**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	35. A New Day is Dawning

**CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE**

The stage was quiet. Sebastian nervously emerged from his music book and tapped his conducting baton on the edge of it.

"Ready?" Sora said.

"As I'll ever be." I said.

Sebastian raised his baton. Two of Ariel's sisters appeared from large oysters.

_Welcome the dawning of a_

_happy age of new beginnings._

_Land and sea have come together,_

_joined in peace and harmony._

_Fairy tales and miracles_

_are what we're singing of:_

_Our dear princess, Ariel,_

_truly fell in love_

_With a prince, a human prince_

_Who lived so far above._

Ariel emerged from a large oyster, smiling.

_Wishes really can come true_

_if you want them to_

_And this happiness inside_

_I owe to ev'ry one of you._ Ariel sang. Ariel's sisters appeared at her side.

_How about you introduce us_

_to these lovely friends of yours?_ Ariel's sisters sang.

_Come take a bow: Donald,_

_Goofy, Hallie, Sora._ Ariel sang.

We emerged and swam forward towards Ariel.

_Congratulations_

_dear princess, to you._ Donald sang.

_You found your first love_

_and he found you, too._ Goofy sang.

_We were glad to help you out_

_And very proud, it's true._ Sora sang.

_Seeing how we made you grin_

_Just makes us want to twirl a fin._ I sang.

_Wishes really can come true_

_if you want them to_

_And this happiness inside_

_I owe to ev'ry one of you._ Ariel sang.

_Be so kind and introduce_

_The King and these, his loyal friends_. Ariel's sisters sang.

_Please say hello:_

_Daddy, Sebastian, Flounder_. Ariel sang.

King Triton came in on a chariot of dolphins. As they swam by the stone chandelier, Triton touched it with his trident and the stones lit up.

_Ariel, I'm so happy for you._ Triton said.

_Yes, happy endings are so rare and so few._ Sebastian sang.

_We were glad to help,_

_And very proud, it's true_. Flounder sang.

_Seeing how we made you grin_

_Just makes us want to twirl a fin. _They all sang.

_Any other friends of yours_

_That might be waiting in the wings? _Ariel's sisters sang.

_Come say hello:_

_All my friends from ev'ry corner of the world!_ Ariel sang.

Callum, Ren, and Ariel's fish friends swam in. As Callum swam past me, we grabbed hands and spun in a circle. Donald and one mermaid swam to an oyster. Goofy and the other mermaid swam to another. Sora, Ariel and I swam to the middle. We all sang together.

_A new day is dawning of a happy age of new beginnings_

_Land and sea have come together_

_Joined in peace and harmony_

_Fairy tales and miracles_

_Are what we're singing of:_

_Our dear princess, Ariel,_

_Prince Eric from above._

_A happy end, forever after,_

_Full of joy and love!_

We all posed. Bubbles rose from the rocks below us and the water filled with applause.

"I'm so glad you talk me into this." I said.

Sora smiled at me. One by one, we all bowed.

* * *

><p>Bubbles formed together to create one big bubble that shimmered rainbow colors. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole.<p>

"Sora? Hallie?" Ariel swam over to us. "What's happening?"

"A new pathway is open." Sora said.

"What? You gonna go? Dis is goodbye?" Sebastian said.

"I won't do it! We'll never say goodbye!" Donald said.

"We'll visit you again. Promise!" I said. "This isn't goodbye, only see you later."

"That's right!" Goofy said. "A-one, two, three, four..."

_Even though we're hittin' the road,_

_our worlds are all connected._ The three sang.

"Which means..." Sora said.

_We are free to come and go._

"And sing!" Donald said.

_So don't be sad, and always know,_

_we'll come back soon to say hello!_

My stomach bubbled with happiness. A chuckle escaped my lips, which soon turned into a flurry of giggles. The sound didn't teem at all with sarcasm or mockery. It was pure delight.

"Are you all right, Hallie?" Callum said, chuckling.

"Oh, I'm fine." I said, giggling.

I turned away from Sora, Donald, and Goofy and I looked at Callum. Seeing that smile on his face made my heart flutter... but something was off. The joy that I felt when I saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy had vanished. And now, looking at Callum, the love of my life...

I felt nothing.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for helping to protect this world." Ren said.<p>

"It's the least we can do!" Sora said.

"You stay out of trouble, now." I said, wagging my finger in a light scolding manner.

Ren smiled at me and a large flash of pain wedged into my brain.

"Are you going back to Triton?" Donald said.

"Oh, yeah! You're his royal bodyguard, right?" Goofy said.

Ren crossed his arms.

"I don't know... maybe I'll do some traveling now." he said. Ren looked at me with a kiddish smile. "I mean, I'm always up for a little adventure."

I clutched the side of my head as another flash of pain struck.

_Who... is this boy?_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang performs in Sebastian's musical extravaganza, which was a fun and splendid success. Afterwards, they say their goodbyes to Ariel and her friends, as well as the mysterious Ren.**

**Who is this mysterious boy, and why does he seem to know Hallie? Will destiny allow their paths to cross again?  
><strong>

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**

***SIDE NOTE: I am super excited to let you guys know that two more Kingdom Hearts fan fictions are in the making. They both delve deeper into the lives of two very important characters and help to connect some vague ties. One of them takes place during 358/2 Days, and the second takes place alongside Hallie's upbringing. But for now, continue reading and enjoying Hallie's journey!***


	36. Birdbrain

**CHAPTER THIRTY SIX**

We were beamed into the Peddler's Shop. The entire place was covered in gold. As Donald was looking around, he bumped into a vase.

"Wak!" he cried.

"You break it, you buy it!" the peddler said. "Oh! Hello there, friends."

"Wow. What happened here?" I said.

"You made out like a bandit!" Sora said.

"Please... I am but an honest merchant." the peddler said. "What you see is merely the reward for my hard work."

"Honest?" I snickered.

"Gawrsh, they sure are nice." Goofy said.

"And they're on sale! Interested?" the peddler said.

"No thanks. Listen, have you seen a guy in a black coat?" Sora said. "Someone from Organization XIII?"

"Or some weird white creatures?" I said.

"Who, me? Most certainly not..." the peddler said.

"Okay. We'll keep asking around, then." Sora said.

Suddenly, Aladdin, Iago, and Abu ran into the shop.

"Sora! Don't let him get away!" Aladdin said as Abu jumped over the counter.

"What's going on?" Sora said.

"Can't believe it... The stupid peddler let Jafar out of the lamp!"

"JAFAR?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said.

"I'm guessing he's bad?" Callum said.

"Very bad." I said. "Wanting to seize Kingdom Hearts bad."

"You guys better be careful." Aladdin said.

"Huh?" Donald said.

"I'm sure Jafar wants to take over Agrabah again, but I know he's out for revenge, too."

"I guess he's still sore about that whole lamp thing, huh?" Sora said.

"Iago was there when Jafar was released. Okay, Iago. Spill it."

"Hey! I told you everything I know!" Iago said.

"This is your one and only chance, Iago. If I find out later that you've been lying or hiding things from us, we're through." Aladdin said. "I'll never speak to you again!"

"I can't take it! I know where Jafar is!"

"Where?" Goofy said.

"Uh, er, I mean, that is, I, um... Ack! I really shouldn't..."

"Spill it, birdbrain!" I said.

Iago sighed. "He's in the desert ruins."

"Let's get the jump on him. Lead the way!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>We walked to the Palace Walls. Looking in the distance, we saw that the desert ruins was being attacked by a nasty sandstorm.<p>

"What a disaster! We're just gonna hafta turn back." Iago said.

"What's wrong, Iago? Hiding something?" I said.

Iago went silent.

"There's gotta be a way..." Aladdin said.

"Aw, c'mon, kid, that's an easy one!" a voice cried.

Genie came zipping through the skies over to us.

"Al, ol' buddy, ol' pal!" Genie cried. "This is what having a genie for a best friend is all about! I mean, how can you leave me on the sidelines in a time like this?! Live large. Wow'em, Al! Give 'em the old razzmatazz! What do ya say, kid?"

"Hey, Genie." Sora said.

"Sora! Wanna see a little something I call "Sandstorm Sweep"?"

"Uh-huh!" we all said.

"Take it away, Genie!" Aladdin said.

Genie posed firepower style. "Ala-ka-ZA...um..." Genie faltered, then turned around with his shoulders slumped. "You know? One lousy sandstorm is just too easy."

Genie lazily pointed a finger over his shoulder. A stream of magic shot through the desert and dispersed the sandstorm.

"Wow!" we all said.

I heard Iago grumble beside me. We looked around, but Genie was gone.

"How about giving me a _challenge_ next time, eh Al?" Genie called.

* * *

><p>We walked to the edge of a sand cliff and looked down at the desert ruins.<p>

"What do we do now?" Aladdin said.

We watched Carpet fly through the desert ruins and over to us. It floated close to the ground and waved its tassels at us.

"Nice timing, Carpet!" Sora said.

Sora and I jumped onto Carpet. Carpet flew forward suddenly.

"Whoa-!" I cried.

I lost my balance and stumbled at the edge. Sora reached out, grabbed my hand and yanked me forward. As I fell forward, I shot my hands out and planted them on Sora's chest to balance myself. We looked at each other and I realized that we were standing extremely close to each other with my hands on his chest and his arm around my waist to steady me. I cleared my throat and pushed myself away, dusting myself off.

"Sorry." I said.

"Just be careful. Carpet likes to ride fast." Sora said, shrugging the situation off with a smile.

I nodded, then looked ahead of us.

"Look!" I pointed.

Underneath an arc, a gray silhouette appeared in robes and holding a serpent scepter.

"That's Jafar!" Sora said. "After him, Carpet!"

Carpet saluted with its tassel and we raced towards Jafar's shadow. As we approached it, the shadow disappeared and Rapid Thrusters, Hook Bats, and Fortunetellers appeared around us. A light pink barrier formed around us.

"Not a very fair fight..." I said, summoning Chaos Ripper. "For them."

I raised my Keyblade and cast Magnara. A ball of magnetic force appeared and the Heartless were forcefully sucked into it. As they squirmed around, Sora and I attacked them. Once they were gone, we looked around.

"Over there!" I said as Jafar's shadow appeared.

We chased Jafar's shadow throughout the ruins, attacking it when it stopped to try and cast spells. We chased it to the top of a large red tower. The shadow raised its arms and another barrier appeared around us. It disappeared and more Heartless appeared.

A Rapid Thruster barreled towards us. It slammed into me and I fell off of Carpet. I flipped right side up and landed at the top of the tower. I growled and summoned Chaos Ripper. I ignited my Keyblade using Fira and hurled it at the Rapid Thrusters. It spun rapidly in the air, cutting through the Heartless. As a Fortuneteller cast ice shards at me, Chaos Ripper came flying back to me. I jumped in the air, caught my Keyblade, and landed in a backhand spring. Sora cast Thundara and destroyed the remaining Heartless. A monument appeared in the center of the roof.

"What's this?" I said.

I walked over and laid a hand on it. Images appeared in my mind. I saw three different locations in the ruins with strange glowing orbs floating there. The images disappeared and I removed my hand.

"What'd you see?" Sora said.

"Some kind of switch." I said.

I looked past the tower into the desert. I smiled, sprinted to the edge, and jumped over.

"Hallie!" Sora called.

I fell over to a ledge that jutted out of the tower below. I somersaulted and stood up on my feet.

"Are you crazy?!" Sora said as he and Carpet flew next to me.

"You say it like it's a bad thing." I said. Sora held out a hand to me and I climbed onto Carpet. "There's a switch under this ledge.

We looked underneath, and six of the floating orbs twirled around each other. As we approached it, the orbs formed into a circle and glowed red. I cast Fira and the orbs lit up and changed turquoise. I directed Carpet through the ruins to where the switches were. The second switch required thunder magic and the third required blizzard magic.

"Think that'll open the door?" Sora said.

"Yeah. But we should hurry before it closes." I said.

Carpet zoomed through the ruins. As we flew, Heartless appeared and chased after us. As we got closer to the tower, two Crimson Jazzes appeared and prepared to launch some fire power at us.

"Almost... there!" I said.

Carpet zoomed through the door and it closed. I breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>We ran up the tower to a spacious room that was littered with debris on the walls.<p>

"The game's up, Jafar!" Sora cried as we all drew our weapons.

It was silent. No one besides us was here.

"You sure this is it?" Aladdin said.

"Iago?" Donald said.

Iago flew onto a rotting beam and bowed his head shamefully.

"Ya gotta understand! It wasn't my idea!" Iago said. "It was Jafar. He made me bring you here! You don't know him like I do! He can be VERY convincing!... He said if I didn't cooperate, he was gonna-"

"Where is he?" Aladdin said.

"C'mon Al, you've gotta forgive me."

"Where's Jafar, Iago?!" Callum said.

"Well... um, let's see... right about now, he's probably attacking the palace."

"I can't believe you, Iago!" I said. "We trusted you!"

"I had no choice! His eyes, they got all creepy and WEIRD!"

"Whatever! Iago, you're supposed to be our friend. But you've been playing both sides, just to make sure you save yourself." Sora said.

"I knew you were still a bad guy!" Donald said.

"I say we leave him in here." I said.

"I'm SORRY!" Iago cried.

He flew back and smacked into a black pot. The pot tumbled from its pedestal and fell to the ground. It shattered to pieces. The tower began to rumble. Chunks of the ceiling fell around us. Carpet flew in, weaving through the falling debris.

"Can we still leave Birdbrain here behind?" I said.

"As much as I want to, we can't." Aladdin said. "Let's get out of here!"

Sora and I hopped onto Carpet. We shot up through the ceiling and into the desert air. As we flew around the tower and through the ruins, we fought off the Heartless that approached us.

"Look out!" I cried.

A tower fell in our path. We ducked and flew up into the air. Heartless appeared and floated to form shapes. After we attacked, Carpet zoomed downward like a roller coaster. Sand geysers erupted before us.

"Hang on!" Sora cried.

We crouched down and gripped Carpet as he wove through the geysers. I sputtered as sand flew into my face. We flew out of the desert.

* * *

><p>Carpet fluttered to the ground in exhaustion.<p>

"I feel the same way." I said as I plopped onto the ground.

"Get some rest, Carpet. You earned it." Aladdin said.

"C'mon, let's get Jafar!" Iago cried.

I scoffed.

"And who asked YOU?" Sora said.

"The palace is through there. Hurry!" Aladdin said.

* * *

><p>As we ran to the palace, we ran into the peddler.<p>

"I guess you know everything now, eh?" the peddler said.

"You can't keep shady stuff secret for long." Sora said.

"So true. I had just snuck into the Palace to, er, borrow some treasure when I heard this... voice. It said: "Release me, and I will give you an even greater reward." "Who are you?" I asked. The voice spoke again. "The true Sultan of Agrabah," he said. "Imprisoned by villains." Oh! Why did I believe such a tall, tall tale?" the peddler said. "Perhaps I was under Jafar's spell. Yes! That must be it!"

"And I'm sure the treasure had nothing to do with it, right?" Sora said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe a bit. But Jafar, he never gave me a thing..."

"So, then, where did you really get all of your treasure?" Callum said.

"Why, the man in the black coat, of course."

"Organization XIII?!" Donald squawked.

"I KNEW it!" Sora said.

"Is everyone here a dirty, lying thief?!" I cried. I glanced at Aladdin. "Um... no offense."

"The treasure was a gift, so I would tell no one about Jafar's return." the peddler said. "He said he would destroy Jafar after turning him into a... "Heartless." So there was no need to upset Agrabah."

"And you bought that?" Sora said.

"I'm a merchant. And a good one, at that."

"Apparently not." I mumbled.

"I'll buy anything if the price is right. It would have been a successful transaction if I hadn't been seen..."

"Oh, you're so kind..." Iago rolled his eyes.

We all glared at him.

* * *

><p>We ran to the palace courtyard. Jafar stood next to Jasmine, who was chained to the door. We drew our weapons and struck our battle stances. Jafar's eyes shifted to me.<p>

"So I see the Keyblade has chosen yet another bunch of brats." Jafar said. Jafar saw Iago peeking out from Goofy's shoulder. He scowled. "You dare defy me! You useless bird!"

Jafar's scepter glowed red. He shot a beam at Aladdin. Aladdin gasped.

"Al!" Iago cried. He flew in front of Aladdin. The beam hit him in the chest and he fell to the ground.

"Iago!" Goofy said.

"You'll all be joining him... VERY soon!" Jafar cried.

He began to glow red and smoke rose into the air. Jafar transformed into a gigantic, red genie. We gaped in shock. A tower from the palace crumbled off and fell down towards us.

"Look out!" I cried, shoving Sora and Aladdin out of the way.

I gasped as the tower piece was only yards away. Suddenly, I felt my feet sweep out underneath me and I fell back on something soft. The tower crumbled to the ground and I was whisked away.

"Carpet!" I said, laughing with relief. "Man, you're timing is impeccable!"

Genie Jafar cackled as he swirled dark magic around in his hands.

"We've got some genie butt to kick." I said.

"Hallie!" Sora called.

Carpet flew down to the ground. I reached out and Sora grabbed my hand, using the momentum to swing him onto Carpet. He flew us above Agrabah. We charged at Jafar and drove our Keyblades into his stomach. As Jafar doubled over, we grabbed his tail and wrapped it around him. We tugged and Jafar went spiraling. As he stumbled around in a daze, we attacked his head. Soon, Jafar sparked with magic and writhed around.

"No... How can I BE defeated again, by a pack of filthy street rats?!" Jafar cried.

"Don't mess with street rats!" Sora said.

Carpet flew us back into Agrabah. Jafar turned into a ball of red power and exploded. The black lamp which once held him faded into darkness.

"You went mano a mano with Jafar, and you didn't invite me, Al?!" Genie cried as he appeared.

"Sorry, Genie. Things happened kinda fast." Aladdin said.

"And I had some new moves to show off, too..."

"But, Genie, we still need your help!" Donald said.

"Who's gonna fix Agrabah?" Sora said.

"No one fixes better than you!" I said.

"Oh, YEAH!" Genie cried. "One super-duper spruced-up Agrabah comin' right up! You won't even recognize the place when I'm through with it!"

"Just like it was, please." Aladdin said.

"Really? Same old same old?" We nodded. "All right."

Genie raised his hands and magic sprung from his fingertips. Magic rays swirled down Agrabah, fixing Agrabah. A wave of sparkles rained down from the air.

"Et voila! Next time let me put in a few swimming pools, 'kay?" Genie said.

"I guess Agrabah's all right now." Sora said.

"Yeah! Thanks, guys." Aladdin said.

"Hey, you behave yourself, got it?" Sora said to Iago.

"I most definitely got it! No more lookin' out for number one. I'm reformed!" Iago said. "I wanna be a good friend, like Genie, but I can't do anything to help you. What kind of a friend is that?"

"Oh, come on, Birdbrain. It's nothing like that." I said. "Being a friend doesn't mean you have to "do" stuff for them. As long as you enjoy being with them and having fun, that's all that matters."

"So... what do you guys do for fun?" Aladdin said.

"We do THIS!" Donald cried as he and Goofy made silly faces.

"Uh... that's not quite what I meant."

"Well, anyway..." Sora said, placing his hands behind his head.

"Ow... my beak!" Iago cried suddenly.

"Gawrsh, Iago. I hope ya didn't hurt yourself." Goofy said.

"Well... cough cough... at least I can still fly."

As Iago stumbled around in the air, Goofy followed him with his hands out in case he fell.

"Look out!" Donald cried.

"Huh?" Goofy said. We cringed as he crashed into a stand.

"Ooh! Was that my cue? Am I on?" Genie's voice called. "C'mon, Al, lemme build a freeway or something!"

"Everything's fine. Don't panic... Genie!" Aladdin said.

"But I can't hold it any longer!" Genie cried. Beams of magic swirled in the air, creating another rain of sparkle. "Sora! Hallie! Donald! Goofy! You guys are too much! If you're ever in the mood for some more cosmic razzle dazzle, gimme a shout, okay?"

"You got it!" Donald said.

"Well, you've done it again, Sora." Aladdin said. "Don't forget about us, okay?"

"I won't!" Sora smiled.

"And Sora... about that friend of yours, the one you're looking for..."

Sora's face fell and he bowed his head to the ground. Aladdin walked over and put his hands on his shoulder.

"You'll find him. Trust me."

Sora looked up and over to me. I smiled and nodded, placing a hand over my heart.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**When Hallie and the gang arrive in Agrabah, they find out from Aladdin that Abu released Jafar, the evil sorcerer who joined with Maleficent and many other villains to seize Kingdom Hearts, from his lamp imprisonment. After prodding the stubborn bird, Iago reluctantly agrees to lead the gang to the temple where Jafar is hiding. With the help of Genie the Magic Carpet, Hallie and Sora head to the sandy ruins near the city, but when they arrive at the temple, they find out Iago was lying and Jafar convinced him to deceive them while he tried to take over Agrabah. The gang rushes back to Agrabah and rescues Jasmine from the sorcerer's clutches. Jafar transforms into his massive, powerful, genie form, but Sora and Hallie defeat him for good. Iago swears that he will be good from now on, but it's going to take a lot to convince Aladdin and the others. As Genie helps to fix up the city, Aladdin promises Sora that he will find Riku eventually.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	37. Beautiful Mind

**CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN**

We arrived in the Hinterlands, where we were perplexed to see presents strewn across the grown. I looked to Callum. His appearance changed dramatically. His hair was now blond and his eyes were now blood red. He wore a tattered black shirt, pants, and combat boots. A pair of shriveled up black angel wings stretched out limply on his back. He stared at me yet again with a look of horror on his face.

"Why are you always staring at me like that?!" I said, placing my hands on my hips.

"I... um..." Callum said. "You just look... different."

"You look different too, but I don't go around staring at you like you just drowned my goldfish."

Callum blushed and looked away. I reached up and touched a few strands of blonde hair that rested on my left shoulder. I smiled and giggled at his bashfulness.

"Huh?" Donald said.

Jack walked down the trail, still wearing his handmade Santa Claus outfit. A trail of presents laid on the ground and he picked them up and carried them in his long arms. He saw us and waved.

"Perfect timing, lady and gents!" Jack said. "Lend me a hand, won't you? These presents must belong to Sandy Claws. So I thought I'd better return them."

Sora crossed his arms and looked at Jack suspiciously.

"You just _happened_ to find them?" he said.

"Of course, Sora!" Jack said, crouching down and poking Sora's cheek. "I'm finished with Christmas fantasies. You know that."

"Then why are you still wearing that outfit?" I said.

"What, this? It's just a costume. And Sally worked so very hard making it! Come on. We've got work to do!"

* * *

><p>We gathered together the presents and went to Christmas Town. We entered Santa's workshop, where he was pacing the floor.<p>

"Oh!" Santa cried when he saw us with the presents. We set them on the table. "Wherever did you find these?"

"In Halloween Town." Jack said. "You'll be needing them for Christmas, right, Sandy?"

"Of course. But these are just a few of the Christmas presents that were stolen."

"Stolen?!" we all cried.

"Who would want to steal Christmas presents?" I said.

We all turned to Jack.

"Oh, Sandy... You don't think is was ME?" Jack said.

"Still wearing the outfit, I see." Santa said.

"I just thought I'd dress for the occasion... But if you don't believe me, then we'll just have to find out who really did it!"

We all looked at Jack in surprise. Santa thoughtfully stroked his beard.

"Very well, I'll leave it to you." Santa said.

"Alright! Sora, Hallie, Callum, Donald, Goofy! We're off!" Jack cried, pointing dramatically forward.

As Jack made his way to the door, we stared at him for a few seconds before Sora, Donald, and Goofy slumped forward and shook their heads. The sound of glass breaking pierced the room. It came from the workshop.

* * *

><p>We followed the sound to the gift-wrapping room. Lock, Shock, and Barrel stood at a table, looking at toys.<p>

"No!" Shock cried. Lock tossed a toy boat.

"This looks good." Barrel said, patting a teddy bear.

"No!"

"Boooring!" Lock yawned.

We watched them toss toys around.

"Hey!" Donald cried.

"So YOU three took them!" Sora said.

"Took what?!" Shock said.

"You stole the presents, didn't you?" Jack said.

"It wasn't us!" Lock said.

"But..." Barrel said.

Shock took off her mask momentarily. "It really sounds like fun!"

"Run for it!" the three children cried, running off in three directions.

"You get back here!" I said, summoning Chaos Ripper.

We chased after the three children. When we rendered them unconscious, we used large magic boxes to trap them inside. We took them out and sat them in a line against a table.

"Where'd you put the presents?" Sora said.

"We told you! We don't have 'em!" Shock said.

"And why should we believe you?" I said. "You better spill it, young lady!"

"Geez, what are you, my parents? You guys seem made for each other!"

Sora and I glanced at each other then looked away.

"Why are you here, then?!" Donald said.

"We're looking for parts for the experiment." Lock said.

"I don't think a teddy bear and a toy boat would suffice." Callum said, crossing his arms.

"Experiment?" Jack said.

"Dr. Finkelstein's making us a friend!" Lock said.

"One we get to boss around!" Barrel said.

"It's true the doctor's been hard at work making _something_ lately..." Jack said.

The three children stood up.

"Besides, Christmas presents are boring!" Lock said. "Not scary or gross... So what good are they?"

"Yeah!" Barrel chimed.

"There's nothing fun here. Let's go back to Halloween Town!"

The three children ran out of the workshop.

* * *

><p>We returned to Santa Claus.<p>

"So, were those pranksters responsible for taking the gifts?" Santa said.

"It doesn't look like it." Jack said.

"Then that means..."

We turned when we heard footsteps. Sally ran into the room.

"Sally!" Jack said.

"Oh, thank goodness! You're all here!" Sally said, walking over to us.

"Is something wrong?" Sora said.

"The Heartless are back in the town square. I thought you should know."

"That's our cue!"

"Back to Halloween Town!" Donald said, running to the door. We turned and walked to the door.

"But wait!" Jack said. "What about finding the gift-napper?"

"We can continue doing that after we take care of the Heartless." I said.

"Actually..." Sally said. "The Heartless were playing with some presents when I saw them..."

"Aha! We have our culprit!" Jack cried, pointing dramatically again.

* * *

><p>"You! You can't be here! Leave Halloween Town, by order of the mayor!" the mayor cried through his megaphone. "Somebody? Anybody! I'm only an elected official- I can't handle this by myself!"<p>

We ran to the town square.

"Sally was right!" Jack said. "We've got to get the presents."

We saw Wight Knights stumbling around and playing with presents. I summoned my Keyblade. We attacked the Heartless and as they disappeared, the presents fell to the ground. Jack walked over to a beaten up box, stepping on the doll that was inside. He picked up the box and examined it.

"What a shame! And it looked like such a nice present, too..." Jack said.

"Jack!" I said, shoving him out of the way.

I picked up the doll, brushed it off, and held it to my heart. The laboratory door opened and Dr. Finkelstein came rolling out.

"Oh, help! Somebody help me!" he cried. "My latest experiment is gone- it's been stolen!"

I looked down at the doll for another moment, then set it down on the ground.

* * *

><p>"I was just sitting here brainstorming, when all of a sudden I was attacked!" Dr. Finkelstein said, holding his head. "I collapsed! And when I awoke, my experiment was gone!"<p>

"First the Christmas present, and now the doctor's experiment?" I said, crossing my arms. "This is some weird thief we're up against."

"Don't worry, Doctor- we know who took it." Jack said.

"Who?!" the doctor said.

"The Heartless." Sora said.

"What, those wretched things? Preposterous! This was nothing like a Heartless."

"Not the Heartless, huh..."

"Who else could it be?" Donald said.

We all stood around, thinking.

"Hey, I have an idea." Jack said. "The thief must like Christmas presents. So... we place irresistible gifts about to draw him into a trap."

"And this miscreant is the same one who stole my experiment?" the doctor said.

"That's right."

"How will we know for sure?" Sora said.

"Well, now, that's easy! We'll scare a confession right out of him!"

"With what?" I snorted. "A mini Santa, a snowman, and a reindeer?"

"What do you say we go with Jack's plan... just for now?" Sora said.

"Let's get to Sandy's house posthaste!" Jack said. "We've got to make some Christmas presents, quickly!"

* * *

><p>"Have you found the presents yet?" Santa said.<p>

"Almost, Mr. Claws." Jack said.

"We're going to reel in the thief with Christmas presents as bait." Sora said.

"Would you mind if we used your factory to make some fake presents?"

"Presents as bait?" Santa said. "Goodness... I don't like the sound of that... Oh, just this once, I suppose. It's for a good cause... All right, use the second floor. And put some heart in it."

"Thank you!" I said.

* * *

><p>"All done!" Donald cried as we examined the presents we just made.<p>

"Not quite." Jack said.

"There's more?" Goofy said.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of the rest."

"I don't like the sound of that..." I said.

* * *

><p>"Did you finish making the presents?" Santa said.<p>

"Yup. Just waiting for Jack." Sora said.

"So, uh, where do you think we oughta leave them?" Goofy said.

"Hm... Oh! I know a good spot." Santa said. "Whenever you're ready, just say the word."

"All right!" Jack said, stepping out of the workshop. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>"This plaza should be a good place for your plan." Santa said. "Now, Jack. Tell me, what exactly IS your plan?"<p>

"I've got it all figured out!" Jack said.

"You do...?"

"Of course! And I also have a wonderful idea! If we catch the thief for you, I would be honored to deliver the-"

Sora jumped over and covered Jack's mouth.

"And on that note, we'll be going." Sora said.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Jack muffled as we pushed him past Santa into the plaza.

* * *

><p>"Stop kicking!" Donald cried.<p>

"Well, if you weren't so close to my feet..." I said, trying to adjust my vision to the pitch black.

"Patience, friends." Jack said.

"I never thought the day would come that I could hide myself in a giant present." Callum said.

"Shhh!" Sora said.

The present lurched.

"I said cut it out!" Donald said.

"Gawrsh, was that you?" Goofy said.

"How come WE have to be the bait?" Sora said.

"Good plan, eh?" Jack said.

"Well, it's a plan, all right..." I said.

"Ouch!" Donald cried.

"Stop moving the box!"

"Quiet! Something's coming!" I felt a hand clamp over my mouth.

As I yanked the hand away, I heard the sound of clanking footsteps getting closer to the box. We heard something squeak open.

"Aha!" we all cried, popping out of the box.

"Huh?" Jack said.

Standing before us was some strange experiment with all kinds of strange gadgets attached to its body.

"Doctor Finkelstein's experiment did it!" Jack said.

"Whoa. Plot twist." I said, jumping out of the box and summoning my Keyblade.

* * *

><p>The Experiment fell limply to the ground. It faded away into smoky darkness.<p>

"We did it! The mystery is solved!" Jack cried.

We heard the sound of sleigh bells. Santa rode down on his sleigh with three real reindeer pulling it.

"Did you catch the thief?" Santa said.

"Naturally!" Jack said.

"I just can't figure out why the doctor's experiment would go around stealing Christmas presents." Sora said.

"His experiment?" Santa said.

"The thief!" Jack said. "It was a moving puppet made by Doctor Finkelstein."

"Hmm... The doctor's made a moving puppet? I see... He is always tinkering with things. Now listen, Jack. I'd like to thank you, and while delivering presents is something only I can do, I can give you an idea of what it's like."

"Sandy Claws!"

Jack jumped into Santa's sleigh, gazing at everything with wide eye sockets and a big grin.

"Yes, all that poor puppet wanted was a heart." Santa said.

As everyone watched Jack fly off on Santa's sleigh, I stared at the experiment.

"A puppet that wanted a heart..." I said.

I felt compelled to glance at Callum. I turned just in time to see tears begin their descent down his cheeks. He bowed his head.

"She never had a chance..." he whispered.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed under my touch; he knew better than to hide his emotions from me. As more tears flowed down his cheeks, I stepped closer to him, linked my arm through his, and rested my head on his shoulder. His fingers intertwined with mine and he squeezed my hand for support.

_I wish I could take away the pain, Callum. If only I knew what troubled that beautiful mind of yours._

"Ho ho ho!" Jack cried as he took off into the sky.

* * *

><p>We returned to Halloween Town and told the doctor about his experiment.<p>

"Interesting! So the puppet wasn't stolen after all! It ran away on its own." the doctor said. "In other words, my experiment was an overwhelming success!"

"Santa Claus thinks maybe it left because it was trying to find a heart." Sora said.

"That's quite possible. Unlike my Sally, it wasn't equipped with a heart."

"Then why did it go around stealing all those Christmas presents?" I said.

"Maybe it's because... presents are a way to give your heart to someone special." Sally said.

"Hmm... when you put it that way, I feel sort of bad for it." Sora said.

We heard the sound of sleigh bells. Jack came flying through the air and landed in front of us.

"Happy Halloween!" Santa cried as his sleigh flew in front of the moon.

Snow lightly fell from the sky.

"What a nice present." Sally said.

"I don't understand! There's no box! No ribbon tied in a bow!" Jack said.

"Jack, it's not about the box or the ribbons." Sora said. "It's about what's inside the box!"

"No, Sora... What really counts- what's really special- is the act of giving the gift." Sally said. "To wish deep in your heart to make someone else happy."

"Right... of course! Thank you, Sally, you're absolutely right." Jack said. "Wait. What's this? I feel so strange... so very happy!"

"I think that was Sally's gift to you." I said.

"Really? This wonderful feeling?" Jack walked over and took Sally's hands. "Oh, Sally! You've given me the nicest present in the world. And I've nothing to give you in return. What would you like? Just name it. Absolutely anything."

"The nicest present I could ever ask for, Jack, is just to be with you." Sally said.

Donald and Goofy held their faces and Sora scratched his cheek. I held my hands behind my back and smiled.

"You don't even have to ask for that." Jack said.

Jack took Sally in his arms and they began to dance.

"Maybe... I never gave her a real present after all." Sora said.

"Who?" Donald said.

"Aw, I bet Kairi would like most anything you gave her." Goofy said, placing his hands on Sora's shoulders.

"I know. That's what made it so hard to decide!"

"The one and only Keyblade wielder likes a girl?" I said. "Pinch me, I must be dreaming!"

Sora smiled at the ground.

"Yeah. She's my best friend." Sora said. "I've known her ever since I was little. I got separated from her and Riku when our island disappeared. And now..."

"I'm sorry, Sora." I said.

"Remember, Sora, it's not about the gift. It's what in your heart!" Donald said.

"My heart..." Sora said.

Sora stared at Sally and Jack with a warm smile on his face. As he watched them, his smile fell flat and he had the most flabbergasted look on his face.

"Huh?" he said.

"Is something wrong, Sora?" I said.

Sora stared at me, blinked a few times, then looked away quickly.

"Oh, um... nothing..." he said.

* * *

><p>"That's an interesting look on you." Vanitas said, obviously not trying to hide his amused smile.<p>

The girl at his side let out a frustrated breath of air through her nostrils. She lifted her hand to her face and glared at the white bell-bottom sleeve that slumped down to her elbow. Her white shirt wrapped around her torso like gauze with bell-bottom sleeves that reached to her wrists. She also wore white lace shorts and white ballet slippers with the straps extending to her shins. Her short blonde hair darkened to brown and the red of her eyes were now amber and they glared at Vanitas. Her empty silver chain rested around her neck.

"Don't you _dare_ say anything." she said. "Unless you want me to personally rip off every one of your spikes."

Vanitas's smile only widened.

"I hate this world." the girl muttered.

"Then why did we come here?" Vanitas said. "This was _your_ idea."

"I didn't expect you to agree!" The girl turned her back to Vanitas and crossed her arms. A pair of luscious white wings rippled on her back from her sharp turn. "Why did it have to be white? I hate white!"

There was silence. The girl turned around to see Vanitas staring at her.

"Not to point out the obvious, but you look exactly like..." The look on Vanitas's face trouble the girl.

"Vanitas." she said.

Vanitas shook his head vigorously in attempt to snap him out of his reverie.

"We need to go. Now." the girl said coldly. She summoned a portal of darkness.

"Right." Vanitas glanced away momentarily before his eyes shifted to the girl again. "I'm sorry."

The girl turned to Vanitas. "It's okay. I know it's not you."

She smiled at him, but that only seemed to heightened the look in his yellow eyes. Her smile faded.

"Come on." she said. Her voice cracked from the panicked anger in her stomach.

* * *

><p>I returned to Christmas Town, for I remembered something I needed to discuss with Santa Claus about. I walked down the path through the town square, pausing a brief moment to twirl the broken carousel, and entered Santa's workshop. He sat in his chair and stroked his beard, which reminded me a lot of Yen Sid.<p>

"Why, hello, Hallie." Santa said. "What brings you here? Where are your friends?"

"They're back at Halloween Town. I need to talk to you about something." I said. "The last time I came here, you told me I'm neither on the nice nor naughty list. Did you... ever figure out why?"

Santa paused a moment to bow his head.

"You must know, you were on my list once. The top of my nice list, in fact. As a child, your heart was pure and full of strong light, the likes of which I've never seen." Santa said.

"Yeah." I chuckled. "I'm already pretty aware of that. I just wish I had the memories to back that up."

"Hallie." Santa stood up from his chair. "Something happened to you when you were a child. Something that caused you to be erased from my list. It was as if you disappeared from existence."

"But... I'm right here." I held out my hands and examined them. I stretched my arms out to the sides.

"Another strange thing occurred. Shortly after your name was erased, two more names appeared on my lists: one on the nice list, and one on the naughty."

My outstretched hands retreated to my heart. "What do you mean? Whose names appeared?"

"Hallie!" a voice called. I turned around as Callum popped his head into the room. "There you are. We have to get going."

"Okay..." I turned back to Santa. He smiled. "Santa?"

"You'll find the answers you seek, Hallie. In due time." Santa said. "But remember this: that heart of yours is a lot stronger than you realize. Many people are connected to you. You are the pathway that connects everything and everyone together."

I sighed and nodded. "All right. Thanks." I turned to Callum. He smiled and reached out his hand. I took it and he walked out of the workshop.

"So, what was it you needed to talk to Santa about?" Callum said.

I shook my head. "Oh, nothing. Answers to riddles and nonsense, but all I got was more piled on top of that."

Callum observed my face, then directed his troubled expression forward.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the others return to Halloween Town, where they get caught in the middle of an investigation for stolen Christmas presents. Their first accusation points to Lock, Shock, and Barrel, the mischievous little kids from Halloween Town who love to prank and cause trouble, but they are innocent. The group heads back to Halloween Town when they learn that Heartless are playing with Christmas presents in the Square. Even the Heartless are innocent. Hallie and her friends have another mystery piled on their hands when they find out that Doctor Finkelstein's experiment has disappeared as well. Jack devises a plan to set Christmas presents as a trap to catch the thief. They set up their plan in Christmas Town's Plaza and wait. They catch the culprit, which turned out to be Doctor Finkelstein's experiment itself! They destroy the experiment and learned it stole the presents because it wanted a heart of its own, and presents can be seen as an act of giving your heart to someone else. Once the mystery is solved, Hallie speaks with Santa about her own mystery: why her name isn't on his list. Santa tells Hallie that she was once on his list, but someone must have happened to her when she was young that wiped her from existence. He also tells her that when her name disappeared, two more names appeared soon after. Hallie leaves with some answers, but a thousand more questions on her already overflowing plate.  
><strong>

**Whose names appeared on Santa's list after Hallie's disappeared? What were Vanitas and the mysterious girl doing in Halloween Town, and why did the girl take on the appearance of Hallie? Why was Vanitas reacting strangely to her?  
><strong>

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	38. Believe in Yourself

**CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT**

As we cruised along the voids of space, we stopped when we saw something huge in the distance.

"What's that? That big... thing?" Chip said.

"Maybe that's the source of the weird reading we picked up before!" Dale said.

"And there's something funny about Twilight Town. I'm seeing two of 'em!"

"Look! It's another huge energy reading! And it's coming from someplace near the town."

"I dunno what's going on, fellas, but it sure looks like there's some big trouble brewing around Twilight Town!"

"We'll check it out later." Sora said. "There's still some worlds that we need to check out."

I caught a glimpse of something looming over the strange castle. Large gray clouds blocked it, but I could see glimpses of yellow and I could barely make out its silhouette.

I scowled and clenched my fists.

* * *

><p>Upon arriving in the Pride Lands, we spent a few minutes teaching Callum how to master traveling around as a lion cub. His fur was light brown and his eyes were still blood red, like back in Halloween Town. His short brown hair rested on the top of his head with his pointed ears perked up. He adorned a few accessories: a black ring on his left middle finger with brown cords attached and wrapped around his arm, and two golden belts wrapped around his chest in an X.<p>

"What kind of world is this?" Callum said after flipping over for the millionth time. "Maybe you guys should go on ahead. I'll catch up... eventually."

"Don't be ridiculous." I said in his upside-down view. "This is just taking a little longer than usual. You'll get the hang of this."

Callum rolled over to his feet. After a few more tries and fails, Callum mastered walking on all fours and fighting with Omega Weapon, which he held with his tail, the same way I did.

As we walked across the Savannah, we stopped when the three hyenas raced over to us.

"Oh, it's you guys." Shenzi said. "Man, we were hoping you were a meal!"

"Hiya!" Sora said.

"Don't gimme any of that "hiya" stuff! Thanks to you clowns, we're back to scavenging scraps for a living." Banzai said.

Ed cackled.

"Doesn't feel nice, does it?" I said.

"C'mon, it's not that bad. I enjoyed that week-dead elephant we had yesterday." Shenzi said.

"Hey, how's Simba?" Sora said.

Shenzi laughed.

"We gotta laugh every time we hear that dude's name." Banzai chuckled.

"Ooh. Say it again!" Shenzi said.

"Simba!"

Shenzi laughed. "One more time."

"Simba!"

The three hyenas rolled around in a fit of laughter.

"That's enough!" Sora said.

"Go on, then, see for yourself. Simba is one wispy-washy king." Shenzi said.

"Yeah, I bet about now, even some of those high and mighty lionesses were wishin' they'd gotten themselves a different king."

The three hyenas turned around and walked away.

"I thought that once we got rid of Scar, things would be better when Simba was king." I said.

"Gawrsh, whaddya think coulda happened?" Goofy said.

"Well, let's go find Simba and see." Sora said.

* * *

><p>As we walked to Pride Rock, we stopped when we suddenly saw darkness collect in front of us. The darkness dispersed, revealing Scar.<p>

"Scar?!" Sora said.

We ran towards him, but he disappeared.

"Huh?" Sora said.

"But Scar's dead." I said. "You think that was a ghost or something?"

"We better tell Simba about this." Goofy said.

* * *

><p>As we walked up to the Pride Rock top, a lioness came to us.<p>

"Are you here to see Simba?" she said.

"We just saw Scar's ghost!" Sora said.

"An omen like that could only be foretelling the end of our pride."

"Omen?" I said.

"Yet... King Simba won't do a thing. I guess just being the son of the great King Mufasa doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to rule the kingdom himself."

"Trust me. Simba will think of something." Sora said.

"The time for thinking is past. We need him to take action-" the lioness said. "As his father would have done. He ruled with courage and pride. I remember it like it was yesterday... The mighty Mufasa..."

"Simba'll do all that, too. You'll see!" Sora said.

"I'm not so sure."

The lioness walked past us.

* * *

><p>We entered the Lion's Den. Simba laid on a slab of rock.<p>

"You came back..." Simba said, smiling weakly.

"Are you okay?" Donald said.

"You don't look so good." Goofy said.

"Hey, Simba. Why don't we team up and do something about that Scar ghost?" Sora said. "Seems like everybody's worried about it. So now's your big chance to show 'em what you're really made of!"

Simba growled and stood up.

"That doesn't concern you!" he cried.

We jumped back.

"Sorry..." Simba said.

"It's okay..." Sora said.

"I just wish I knew what my father would do."

"But he's not here anymore, Simba." I said. "It's up to you now."

"And that means the important thing is what you're gonna do being the king." Goofy said. "Not what you're father would have done."

"So you're saying... it's all up to me..." Simba said.

"See, there ya go!" Sora said.

"Exactly!" Timon and Pumbaa said as the duo approached us.

"We know your dad was a great king, and all. But now it's your turn." Timon said.

"Yeah! Ya gotta put your behind in the past!" Pumbaa said.

"No, it's "You gotta put the past behind you.""

"Oh."

"It's time to go out there and show everybody things are gonna be just fine!"

"Yeah, you can do it!" Sora said.

"You gotta live for today!"

"And find your own path!" Pumbaa said, rocking his head side-to-side.

"Live for today... And find my own path... not my father's..." Simba said.

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" I said.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Simba." Nala said, walking up to him. She stood beside him and turned to us. "Promise me you'll help Simba any way you can."

"As long as Sora and Hallie handle the dangerous parts!" Timon added.

We nodded. Nala turned to Simba.

"I'm counting on you, Simba..." she said. "and so is our baby."

Our jaws dropped.

"_Baby?!_" I cried.

"Great! Now we're going to have to babysit!" Timon complained.

We all laughed.

"Let's go see Rafiki first. I'm sure he'll be able to tell us something about that ghost." Simba said.

* * *

><p>We went to Rafiki and told him about Scar's ghost. He told us that the ghost was a test set for Simba and he would have to face it himself. He told us to go and ask the hyenas more about it in the elephant graveyard.<p>

We went to the elephant graveyard and found the three hyenas.

"Hey, you!" Donald said.

"Aw, c'mon, can't you guys just leave us alone?" Banzai said.

"Do you three know anything about Scar's ghost?" Simba said.

"Huh? Scar's ghost?" Shenzi said.

Ed cackled.

"Maaaybe..." Banzai said.

"You DO know!" Sora said.

The three hyenas split up and took off into the graveyard. We ran after them, and one by one, we took them out.

"Oh no... I guess you caught us ALL." Banzai said.

"What're we gonna do?" Shenzi said.

"Enough stalling!" I said. "Tell us what you know!"

"Sorrrry. We don't know nothin'." Banzai said.

"Oh, wait. It's comin' back to me." Shenzi said. "That's the one that only hangs out around 'fraidy cats. Right, Banzai?"

"Enough!" Simba said.

Ed cackled. There was a warping sound and Scar's ghost appeared before us.

"There it is!" Shenzi said. "Must be a fraidy cat around here somewhere!"

"Simba! Do something!" Sora said.

"How does it feel to be king, hmm?" Scar's ghost said. "Why, you must be a truly inspiring ruler by now. After all, you ARE the son of the great Mufasa."

Simba backed away, then took off.

"Simba!" I called.

"Where are you going?" Sora said.

"Ah, Simba... running away as always." Scar's ghost said.

"Simba!"

The ghost disappeared. The three hyenas cackled and walked past us.

"Gawrsh, Rafiki was right." Goofy said.

"You mean, Simba's still unsure?" Sora said.

"Seems like. Do ya think there's some way we can help?"

"Hmm... We should start by talking to Simba some more. Let's head back to the Pride Lands."

* * *

><p>We returned to Nala and Rafiki.<p>

"Where's Simba?" Nala said.

"Well, um..." Sora said.

"Oh, ho, ho! He ran away!" Rafiki said. "I knew it would not be easy for him."

"He just needs some time, that's all." I said.

"To face his fears, he must go somewhere where the only thing to think of is what to do, not what others think of him."

"Why didn't you just say so?" Sora said.

"But where's Simba now?" Donald said.

"Hey, I know! He's at the oasis!" Timon said. "That's our favorite hangout spot!"

"All right then, let's get going." Callum said.

* * *

><p>When we arrived at the oasis, we saw Simba and Scar's ghost facing off. The ghost backed Simba up to the edge of the cliff.<p>

"Simba!" Sora called.

We ran over to him. Scar's ghost disappeared.

"Are you okay?" I said.

"It's no use. I'll never be the king my father was." Simba said.

"But Simba... That's not what you're supposed to be." Sora said. "You can't be Mufasa. You can only be you. Everybody believes in you as a king. They just want to see what you'll do. And if anyone's saying they liked your father better, it's because you haven't done much yet. That's all."

"I know that..."

"Then stop moping around and DO something! You can't give up on yourself." I said. "You have to believe in yourself. You need to step up and become the king that you are destined to be."

"I can't!" Simba said.

"...Fine." Sora said.

"Let's go, Sora." Donald said.

"Yeah. Why stick around if he's not even gonna try?"

Donald and Sora turned around and walked away.

"C'mon, Goofy." I said.

We turned around and followed them. As we, walked I felt something tug on my tail and pull be back. I stumbled behind a bush.

"What the-?!" I said.

"Shhh!" Sora said.

We peeked behind the shrubbery and saw Scar's ghost appear in front of Simba again.

"Watch this." Sora said. "The hesitant king will one day lose all his friends."

"King Simba the doubtful..." Donald said.

"Worried by a silly ol' ghost..." Goofy said.

I giggled to myself. "Nothing but a big old scaredy-cat. Why bother with such a wash-out?"

Simba growled.

"No!" he cried.

"Try and stop me!" Donald said.

Simba roared and attacked Scar's ghost. It disappeared. We came out from the bushes and ran over to Simba.

"You did it! The ghost is gone!" Sora said.

"We knew you could do it!" Donald said.

"Hooray for Simba!" Goofy said.

"All you had to do was have the courage to take a stand." I said.

"You know, I'm really luck to have friends who'll stand by me and help me see clearly." Simba said. "My father... wasn't so fortunate."

"There you go again!" Sora said.

"I mean... Everyone here, and in the Pride Lands, wants me to succeed. Sora, Hallie, Donald, and Goofy. Pumbaa, Timon, Rafiki... Nala. You all want what's best for me. But my father always had Scar lurking behind his back, trying to cut him down. I've got to make the most of my blessings, and rebuild this kingdom."

"Are you gonna say it, or do it?"

"Wait and see!"

"SIMBA!" Timon came running into the oasis. "Simba! Come quick! There's a bazillion ghosts of Scar haunting the Pride Lands! Everybody but Nala high-tailed it outta there. And now she needs your help."

Simba took off into the forest. Timon sighed.

"Our little Simba... all grown up and finding his place in the world..." he said.

"Nice try. You're coming, too!" Simba called.

"Who said we weren't?" I said.

* * *

><p>We ran to Pride Rock. At the top, we saw Nala and Pumbaa standing before another of Scar's ghost.<p>

"We're here!" Sora said.

"Where's Simba?" Nala said.

Simba stepped forward. Nala smiled.

"I've come back, Nala." Simba said.

Scar's ghost approached Simba until their faces were inches away. Simba scowled.

"Get out." he growled.

The ghost disappeared.

"Way to go, Simba!" Sora said.

We looked over the land and saw streams of darkness flying around.

"Are you with me?" Simba said.

"Now and forever, Your Majesty!" Sora said.

We all bowed to him.

* * *

><p>As we ran to the Savannah, we watched as the streams of darkness collect together and created the Groundshaker.<p>

Its head turned upside down and began swinging it against the ground. As we sprinted across its feet, we jumped as it brought its feet down, dodging the shock waves it created. The Groundshaker brought its front paws down on us. Sora and I jumped up and drove our Keyblades into its paw. As we fell down through the air, we landed as the Groundshaker collapsed to the ground. We ran over and attacked its head. When the Groundshaker stood up, its head turned over right-side up and a giant Shaman Heartless stood on its back. We ran forward and jumped high into the air and landed on its back. We attacked the Shaman Heartless.

The Groundshaker struggled to walk forward. The Shaman Heartless looked around in a panic. The Groundshaker collapsed to the ground, sending the Shaman Heartless spiraling to the ground. Both Heartless faded into darkness. A giant heart came from the Shaman and floated up into the sky.

* * *

><p>We watched Nala and Simba stand together, looking over the Pride Lands.<p>

"Simba seems fine now." Sora said.

"Ha! The king has returned!" Rafiki said. "The Pride Lands will not forget King Simba's courage. Or the courage of those who fought beside him."

Simba approached us.

"Do you think your quest will ever be over?" Simba said.

"I don't know..." Sora said. "But I think, as long as the Keyblade stays with me... I'll have to keep fighting."

"Hey, I'm a Keyblade wielder, too! I'll be right there fighting alongside you." I said. Sora smiled.

"Ahh... The struggle never ends. That is the great Circle of Life." Rafiki said.

"Never ever?" Sora said.

"The secret to victory... is a strong heart." Rafiki said. "Go on, go on, go- go then! Go on, get out! Yes, yes! It is time! Your fight continues..."

We turned to Simba and Nala.

"Till we meet again, Your Majesty." Sora said.

"I hope that's soon."

"It will be. So long!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<br>**

**Ever since Simba was crowned king of the Pride Lands, it seems he's still having doubts about himself. He's convinced that he'll never be as good as his father, Mufasa, and it sends him into a depression. Not only that, but it appears the ghost remnants of Scar are lurking around and haunting Simba. Hallie and the others tell Simba that he _wouldn't_ be like his father, but that shouldn't stop him from being who he should be: himself. With renewed confidence, Simba reclaims the Pride Lands once again as his own and banishes Scar's Ghost forever. With the king's help, Sora and Hallie defeat the Groundshaker and restore peace to the Pride Lands.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**

**Personally, I _hated_ the Pride Lands, both in the game and writing it. I'm glad that it's over so I can move on to content I actually do want to post.**


	39. Home

**CHAPTER THIRTY NINE**

As we arrived in Hollow Bastion, a group of Soldier Heartless ran past.

"Wait a sec... I thought everything was supposed to be under control here!" Sora said.

"If I have to fight another thousand Heartless again, I'm gonna burst." I said.

We saw the security system appear before us, like it didn't even notice the Heartless.

"Must be Organization XIII again." Sora said. "We better go see Leon."

As we ran through the plaza, we ran into Donald's uncle, Scrooge.

"Bless me bagpipes! I did it!" Uncle Scrooge cried. "I recreated "Sea-Salt Ice Cream!""

"Mmm! Can we try some?" Donald said.

"Of course!"

Uncle Scrooge handed an ice cream bar to Donald. He tasted it.

"Oh boy! This is good!" Donald cried.

We all tasted our own ice cream.

"So salty!" Sora said.

"But sweet!" I said.

"Aye. It's unique." Uncle Scrooge said. "When I was a lad, all the kids were crazy for it."

As I took another taste of the ice cream, something flashed in my mind. I saw a big clock tower protruding a sunset sky and the sound of laughter piercing the air.

I snapped back into reality and stared at my ice cream. I glanced up at my friends, but Callum caught my eye the most. He stared at his ice cream intensely, as if it did something that greatly offended him. He looked down and opened his other hand, revealing a yellow and blue thalassa shell. He clenched his hands into tight fists, and while Scrooge looked away, he whipped around and threw the ice cream in the other direction. It hit a wall and splattered on impact. The blue ice dripped down into a puddle. Callum turned around and met my surprised eyes. His expression softened immediately and he turned his head away, shoving the shell back into his pocket.

* * *

><p>As we walked up to Merlin's house, a security system zipped past Donald. Strafer Heartless appeared in front of the door.<p>

"Hey, these Heartless are from Tron's world." I said, summoning Chaos Ripper.

"What are they doing here?" Sora said.

We attacked them. After we defeated them, the door to Merlin's house opened and Yuffie poked her head out.

"Come on in!" Yuffie said.

"Wait just a second. What happened to this place?" Sora said.

"Yeah, the last time we were here, we took care of the Heartless problem." I said. "Why are they back again?"

"C'mon, just get inside!" Yuffie said.

We entered the house. Cid sat at his computer, typing furiously on the keyboard. Yuffie and Merlin stood beside him.

"Hurry up, Cid!" Yuffie said.

"Give me a second!" Cid snapped.

"Confound it! Hurry!" Merlin said.

"Why, you...! Do YOU want to do this?!"

"What's going on?" Sora said.

Everyone turned to us.

"Talk about yer good timin'!" Cid said.

"The MCP is wreaking havoc inside the computer." Yuffie said.

"Not again!" Donald said.

"Accordin' to Leon, anyway... He went on over to Ansem's study to find out what all the ruckus was about." Cid said. "Turns out the MCP is using the data in that computer to crank out Heartless."

"Well, can't the security system help take care of them?" I said.

"The MCP's been messin' around with the town's control system, too. Instead of attacking Heartless, it's attacking people."

"That MCP sure doesn't know when to quit, does it?" Yuffie said.

"That's a computer program for ya."

"How's Tron doing?" Sora said.

"We can't reach him. We figure he must have been forced onto the game grid." Yuffie said.

"And it don't sound like a particularly fun game, either." Cid said.

"No, it is not." I said, crossing my arms.

"Aww..." Donald said.

"We'll go check on Tron." Sora said.

"Thanks, kids." Cid said. "We're puttin' together an MCP Eradication program. I got a hunch it's almost finished, too."

"Well, I hope your hunch is right for once!" Merlin said.

"Listen, we're gonna need Tron's help when that Eradicator's completed..." Yuffie said.

"No problem." I said.

"Remember- we're counting on you." Merlin said.

"Roger!" Sora said.

* * *

><p>When we entered Ansem's computer room, Leon whipped around and pulled his Gunblade on us.<p>

"Gawrsh, it's only us!" Goofy said.

We approached Aerith and Leon.

"You can't talk to Tron if this room gets taken over." Aerith said.

"Did you check in with Cid?" Leon said.

"Yup." I said. "We're going to go check on Tron."

"And the Eradicator?"

"It's almost done." Donald said.

"Great!" Aerith said. She turned to Leon. "Say, Leon, why don't you go work with Cid? I have this place under control."

"Are you sure? All by yourself...?" Leon said. Aerith glared at him. "...Er, sorry. It's all yours."

"So, how's Tron?" Sora said.

"We still can't get in touch with him. Maybe you guys should give it a shot."

"No, we'll go talk to him in person."

"Then I have a favor to ask. When you find Tron, could you tell him to come to the I/O tower? That's where we'll upload the MCP Eradication program."

"You can count on us!" Goofy said.

"Thanks. And watch your backs."

We walked up to the computer. All of the monitors were green with the words "IGNORANT USERS. OBEY THE MCP" written across the screens.

"We'll be there soon, Tron." Sora said.

* * *

><p>We transferred into the pit cell.<p>

"Gawrsh, I hope Tron's okay." Goofy said.

"Me, too. Let's head for the game grid." Sora said. He approached the terminal. "Great! The terminal works!"

"Let's go!" Donald said.

"Here, let me take care of that." I said.

I typed on the keyboard and it whisked us away in columns of light.

* * *

><p>The columns of light transported us to the Game Grid. I glanced at Callum, who gawked at the glowing blue circuitry that decorated his body. His clothes remained the same, but they were changed to black. His cords, belt, and the lining of his clothes glowed blue with circuitry. His skin had a gray tint, making his amber eyes pop.<p>

Tron stood in the middle of the Game Grid. Strafers and Magnum Loaders zoomed past him. He jumped around, trying his best to avoid them.

"Tron!" Sora called.

"Careful! Watch out...!" Tron called.

A Devastator shot an electro ball. It hit Tron, and he fell to the ground.

"Hold on!" Sora said.

We charged forward and attacked the Heartless. We grabbed Tron and dragged him out of the game grid back to the pit cell.

"You really saved me." Tron said.

"It was nothing." I said. "Now, explain to us what in the world is going on here."

"The MCP is ready to wage all-out war against the Users. What's been happening on the outside?"

Sora crossed his arms. "Well, there's this machine for making Heartless- it's gone totally berserk..." he said. "The town's control system is having problems, too. But Cid's putting together a program that can de-rezz the MCP. Once we pick it up at the I/O tower, he thinks we can use it to stop the MCP for good."

"Let's try it!" Tron cried.

"Great!"

"So who's this Cid?"

"He's a friend from the User world." I said. "All of our friends- Leon, Cid, Yuffie, Merlin, Aerith... They're on the outside, and they're worried for you."

Tron looked around the walls.

"I must have a lot of User friends." Tron said.

We nodded.

* * *

><p>We ran to the IO tower. The ceiling above the glowing purple platform opened and light shone through. Tron jumped up onto the platform, grabbed his Identity Disk, and raised it up as he was shower in light. The Disk glowed and was carried up through the hole. A few seconds later, it floated back down into Tron's hands.

"What's it like?" Goofy said.

"This is very strange..." Tron said.

"That's Merlin's magic!" Donald said.

"Look, there's a power booster for me! And flight routines for the solar sailer!"

"Meaning... we're set?" Sora said.

Tron jumped down from the platform. "Well, like you Users say... we won't know till we give it a try! We'll need a sailer to get to the MCP, so let's head to the simulation hangar."

We ran out of the tower and to the hangar. We climbed onto a solar sailer. Tron typed in some codes and a yellow beam connected to the sailer. The sailer started up and zoomed forward. We looked over the land underneath us. Tron sighed.

"You've got to keep a lookout." Tron said. "The MCP isn't going to just let us waltz in."

Sora, who pointed at something in the distance and bounced on his toes excitedly like a little boy, scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. Suddenly, a Devastator appeared. Sora cried out and jumped back. More Devastators appeared and landed on the sailer. We brought out our weapons.

"If we don't get rid of these Heartless, the sailer will overload and we won't be able to fly!" Tron said.

We attacked the Heartless, keeping them at bay as the sailer flew. The sailer landed at the core.

"The MCP is straight ahead." Tron said.

"Time to settle things for good." Sora said.

"Time for some de-rezzing." I said, stretching my arms.

* * *

><p>We ran into the core. There was a giant crater in the center and circling rapidly in the crater was a giant orange... thing. We turned and saw Sark standing before us.<p>

"Who is that?" Sora said.

"Sark." Tron said. "The MCP's number two."

"Tenacious little bugs! Your time is up." Sark said. "Prepare for de-resolution!"

We ran forward and attacked him. As we attacked, Sark threw glowing disks at us. I swung my Keyblade at the disks, and they flew back and hit Sark.

"You're very persistent, Tron." Sark said.

"I'm also better than you." Tron said.

"We... would have made a great team..."

Tron stood his Identity Disk. It glowed bright blue. He threw it at Sark. The disk curved upward and slammed into Sark's jaw. His head snapped back and he fell to the ground.

"Now for the MCP!" Tron said, turning to the giant orange spinning thing.

"This thing is the MCP?" Sora said.

"That's it. Ugly, isn't it?"

"Tron. Don't you understand?" the MCP said. "We don't need Users. We've advanced- they're superfluous. Be a part of me, and together the world will be ours to control!"

Tron shook his head. "MCP. You still don't get it, do you?"

The MCP stopped spinning. This... thing... had a face!

"Sark..." the MCP said. "Sark! All my functions are now yours!"

A beam on light appeared over Sark and absorbed into him. As he stood up, he began to grow until he was a giant.

"Big or not, you're still no match for us!" I said, summoning Chaos Ripper.

A wall of barriers appeared around the MCP. We attacked Sark, and once we knocked him out, we ran to a barrier and destroyed it. Tron brought out his Identity Disk. Sora and I used our Keyblades and the disk to send a laser beam into the MCP.

The core rumbled. The MCP turned blue and spun rapidly. As it spun, it grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared. Sark disappeared. Tron smiled and jumped into the air.

"We did it!" he cried, pumping his fist.

"I see Tron has a silly side, too." Sora said.

Tron cleared his throat. "I learned it from you. Of course, I do have my silly limits."

"Okay, then I'll tweak your program when I get back to the User world."

"Like you know how to do something like that." I said.

"Maybe we better not try that." Tron said.

"Aww... How 'bout it, guys? Singin' Tron? Dancin' Tron!" Sora said. "Sound good?"

"Yeah!" Donald cried. I laughed and held my hands together behind my back.

Tron laughed. "Okay, okay, fine. But before I crash-" he said. "Sora, Hallie, Callum, Donald, Goofy... and all the Users out there... Thank you. You really helped me. You made me so much stronger. You taught me what friendship is truly all about. And I'll never forget it. As soon as I met you, I knew we were going to defeat the MCP and free the system."

Tron approached Sora and held out his hand. Sora smiled and took it. Tron yanked Sora in and gave him a hug.

"Uh...?" Sora said awkwardly.

"Isn't this what Users do when they're sorry to say goodbye?" Tron said.

"Uhhh... it's a first for me."

"Gawrsh, Tron, it's like a promise that we'll see each other again real soon." Goofy said.

"Okay, well then..." Tron said.

Tron approached each one of us and gave us a hug.

"I promise." Tron said.

We nodded. Tron began to step backwards away from us.

"Where are you going?" Sora said.

Tron smiled, waved, and sprinted forward. He dove into the large crater. We all cried out and ran to the crater. Looking down, I could see that the hole was filled with light. Tron was gone.

"Tron..." Sora said.

Suddenly, the core rumbled violently. There was a flash of light.

* * *

><p>We were taken back to Ansem's computer room.<p>

"You're here!" Aerith said.

"Welcome back!" Yuffie said.

Sora frowned. "How's the town?" he said.

"A-okay!" Yuffie said.

"Not a single trace of the MCP, either." Aerith said. "Everything's back to normal. We made it."

Yuffie walked up to Sora.

"Hey, why the long face?" Yuffie said. She wagged a scolding finger in his face. "What happened?"

"Tron just disappeared." Donald said.

"And he promised we'd see him again..." Sora said.

Alarms blared from the computer.

"What's happening?!" Aerith cried, turning to the computer.

"Greetings, friends." a familiar voice said from the computer. "System is up, and ready for User input."

"Tron!" we all cried.

"Stay in touch."

"Yeah!" Sora said.

Donald ran over to the keyboard and jumped up onto it.

"Oh boy, oh boy!" Donald cried.

Tron laughed. "Hey, stop that! It tickles!"

Sora and Goofy looked at each other.

"Tron is ticklish?" Goofy said.

Sora got a mischievous look on his face and he crept up to the computer.

"How 'bout this!"

Sora ran his fingers over the keyboard, tapping every key he could as fast as he could.

"Please stop that!" Tron laughed.

Sora and Donald laughed.

"I think Tron's been hanging around those guys too much." Yuffie said.

"Sora, don't you have anything better to do than tickle a computer?" I said, feeling like a doofus for saying that sentence.

Sora looked at me and approached me.

"Got any other ideas?" he said.

I summoned Chaos Ripper and pointed it at him.

"You want to keep your spikes, pretty boy?" I said. "Then I suggest you don't come any closer."

"Okay, okay." Sora backed away, but the mischievous smile on his face didn't fade.

"W-wait, wait just a moment." Tron said. "I want to show you something I dug up from the system archives. You can see the town back when it was first built."

"...What?" I said.

I ran forward and pushed the boys out of the way. I stood in front of the computer as it lit up.

"Hey, what's up, Hallie?" Sora said.

I stared at the computer screen, momentarily mesmerized at the bright lights. My feet took control of my body and I ran out of the computer room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Callum called.

"Come on, come with me!" I said.

* * *

><p>We all ran outside to the castle postern. Sparkles rained down from the sky. I looked up as beams of light shot up from the ground and lit up the sky.<p>

"You know, this town had another name once." Aerith said.

"Hmm?" Sora said.

I reached out my hands as a sparkling material floated down and rested in it.

"Radiant Garden." I said.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked up at the castle. My tears quickly turned into full-out weeping.

"Hallie, what's wrong?" Callum said. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know!" I said. "I'm just so... happy!"

I laughed and cried at the same time as I spun around in a circle with my arms stretched out to the sides. When I finished spinning, I laid my hands over my heart as the tears continued to fall. With every heartbeat, something in the back of my mind ached. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see Sora standing there, smiling at me. I wiped away a tear and smiled back.

* * *

><p>A boy stepped in the center of the town plaza. He wore a V-Neck t-shirt with thick stripes of yellow, white, light gray, and dark gray, blue jeans, and white sneakers. His crystal blue eyes sparkled as he turned his gaze up to the sky. Sparkles rained down and landed in his messy blonde hair. The light beams that rose up in the air reflected in his eyes, happy and hopeful. He held out his hand and watched as a sparkle floated in his palm. He smiled.<p>

"She did it." Ren whispered. He looked up towards the castle. "Thank you, Hallie... even if you don't remember me. It's good to be home."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang return once again to Hollow Bastion, where they learn that the MCP is wreaking havoc. It's sending Heartless out into the town and it hacked into the security system, making it attack people instead of Heartless. Hallie and the gang go back into The Grid and find Tron trapped in the Game Grid. They break him out and head to the source of the problem: the MCP. They go to the core and defeat it and it's number one cohort, Sark. After they defeat him, Tron says goodbye to the group and jumps into the core. The gang is taken out of the world back into Hollow Bastion, where they find out that Tron has become the new master program for Hollow Bastion OS. Tron returns the town back to its former glory, known as Radiant Garden, which Hallie seems to be overwhelmingly happy at that, as well as the mysterious Ren.**

**What caused Callum's unusual outburst with the ice cream? What caused Hallie's reaction to the restoration of Radiant Garden? _Who in the world is this Ren guy_, and why does he have a connection to Radiant Garden and Hallie?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!  
><strong>


	40. Kind Somebody

**CHAPTER FORTY  
><strong>

We went back to Merlin's house.

"So, any reason why you wanted us to come back here?" I said.

"You see, when Donald, Goofy and I were traveling around a while back, we came across this storybook about a bear named Winnie the Pooh." Sora said. "However, the Heartless got to the book and scattered the book's pages over the worlds. Pooh seemed to forget me and all of his other friends. While we were traveling, I've been finding these pages. I have them all, so I want to turn the book back to normal."

"You mean, there's a whole other world inside that book?" I said. "Wow... Can I come?"

Sora looked at me in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah!"

Sora's face lit up and he nodded. We walked over to the dresser where Pooh's storybook was. The cover was slashed through by claws, but I could make out a younger Sora walking alongside three animal creatures. Sora opened the book and light swirled around us.

* * *

><p>We landed on the pages of the storybook. As we looked around, the pages had spots that looked like they were erased out of them, save one place that I saw to be Pooh's house. Light came down and appeared on an erased spot, revealing a flattened pop-out of a large tree with bushes. We walked over to the pop-out. When Sora touched it, we were sucked inside.<p>

As we walked down a path, a strong gust of wind blew behind us. A large acorn flew by and smacked Sora in the back of the head.

"Ouch!" He cried, rubbing his head. "Wonder if Pooh's here..."

Another gust of wind blew us forward.

"Wow, it sure is windy!" I said, holding my hand against my braid to keep my hair from flying everywhere.

As the wind blew, a little pig flew threw the air.

"Oh, help, help! Somebody help me!" The pig cried.

"Piglet!" Sora called.

"Sora! Help! Please!"

We was carried through the air towards the tree house. Piglet clung to a tree branch that jutted out from the tree.

"Hold on, little guy!" Sora said.

We ran to the tree house. Sora jumped up into the air, grabbed Piglet, and set him down to the ground.

"There you go!" Sora said.

"Whew! Thank you, Sora. And, uh, um..." Piglet said.

"Hallie." I said.

"Oh, here comes Pooh Bear."

A small, chubby yellow bear wearing a small red shirt that didn't even cover his pudgy stomach approached us.

"Pooh! You're all right!" Sora said.

"Why, hello. It's nice to meet you." Pooh said. "Happy Windsday."

"Nice to m-meet you? But, Pooh. It's me, Piglet!" Piglet said. "Don't you remember me?"

"And me, too? We're friends!" Sora said.

"We are? Hmm... It seems I can't remember." Pooh said.

"Well, you and I haven't met before." I said. "I'm Hallie. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Oh, Pooh... This is v-v-very sad!" Piglet said.

Piglet began to walk away sadly. Suddenly, the wind picked up, carrying him away again.

"Goodbye, Sora and Hallie! Goodbye, Pooh!" Piglet called as he was whisked away.

"Piglet..." Sora said.

"Oh my. That looks rather fun, doesn't it?" Pooh said.

"I say, it seems we have a rather serious predicament!" An owl flew down next to us. "Sora, would you mind going after poor Piglet?"

The wind carried Piglet into a tall tree with honey oozing out the open holes.

"Jump down, Piglet! I'll catch you!" Sora said.

"Oh, d-d-dear..." Piglet said.

"You can do it, Piglet. You just have to be brave."

"Sora..."

Sora reached out his arms.

"All right, Sora. I'll t-try..."

Piglet covered his eyes and jumped. Sora reached out to catch him, but Piglet swerved and fell into Pooh's hands.

"Oh, that was rather frightening. I do hope you're all right, Piglet." Pooh said.

"Oh, P-Pooh!" Piglet said. "You remembered my name? You really, truly remembered?"

"Of course, Piglet. But today I think I shall call you "my friend Piglet who is very brave"!"

"Me? Very brave? No... But it's easy to be brave when I have a wonderful friend like you, Pooh Bear!"

"I'm happy for you guys." Sora said.

"Oh, and thank you for rescuing my friend Piglet... Hallie and Somebody-I-Don't-Know." Pooh said.

"Oh... Uh, sure. Don't mention it." Sora said.

"I guess it's gonna take a while before Pooh starts remembering you." I said.

"Yeah..."

* * *

><p>The cut out of Piglet's House shimmered and became its pop-out form. There was another swirl of light and we saw another tree house with garden patches and a clothesline.<p>

As we walked down the path, we saw Pooh floating around on a balloon. He was heading towards a stuffed donkey who had just built a little house out of sticks.

"Oh d-d-d-dear!" Piglet cried.

"C'mon." Sora said.

We ran over as Pooh crashed into the stick house. He let go of the balloon and it flew away.

"Eeyore, Pooh. Are you okay?" Sora said. "Gosh, that's too bad, Eeyore. After all that work..."

"No matter. Most likely would have fallen down anyway." Eeyore said.

"Well, I'll help you fix your house, Eeyore." Piglet said.

"Yeah, us too." I said. "I'm Hallie."

"Oh, hello there, Piglet. Thanks for offerin'." Eeyore said. "Wouldn't want to spoil your fun day, though."

Pooh stood up.

"Well, hello, Piglet." He said. He turned to Eeyore. "And hello, Somebody-I-Don't-Know."

"Pooh, this is Eeyore. You know Eeyore, don't you?" Sora said.

"Um, I do?"

"What could've happened to him?"

We heard a small rumbling noise. Pooh looked around.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Piglet said. "Maybe Pooh's tummy is so rumbly that it's making him forget. If we bring him some honey, he's sure to remember!"

"Well... um... I guess it's worth a try." Sora said.

"Where will we find some honey around here?" I said.

"If honey's what you're looking for, I know just the place." Eeyore said. "Follow me."

We followed Eeyore around to the side of the tree house, where there was a stack of honey pots filled with honey.

"This is the place I told you about." Eeyore said.

"Wow! Look at that." Sora said.

"Thanks, Eeyore." I said.

"How yummy for my tummy!" Pooh said.

"But doesn't that honey belong to someone?" Piglet said.

Pooh ignored him and he ate all of the honey from the pots. A yellow rabbit carrying a honey pot walked over to us.

"Oh, no!" Rabbit cried. "My honey! Pooh, did you eat ALL my honey?!"

"Oh, hello. It's nice to meet you." Pooh said, rubbing his full tummy.

"What did you say?"

"Is that for me, too?"

Pooh walked over and took the honey pot from Rabbit. He sat down on the ground and ate the honey inside.

"Oh, I was sure I'd found a safe place for it, too..." Rabbit said.

"Sorry. It's our fault. We brought Pooh here." Sora said.

"Oh, hello, Sora... It's good to see you again. And...?"

"I'm Hallie." I said.

"Nice to meet you." Rabbit said glumly.

"We really are sorry." Sora said.

"It's quite all right. I know Pooh can't be stopped when he gets this hungry."

Pooh finished the honey pot and stood up.

"Pardon me, Somebody-I-Don't-Know. Is there any more?" Pooh said.

"Are you feeling all right, Pooh?" Rabbit said. "Could you really have forgotten all about me? What on earth is going on?"

"Is there more honey? You see, my tummy's rumbly."

"That's it! He's so hungry, he can't remember a thing!"

"Oh! We thought that, too." Piglet said.

"Then let's stuff this bear full of honey!" Rabbit said.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up." Eeyore said.

"But I thought Pooh ate all your honey, Rabbit?" Sora said.

"Oh, I've got more." Rabbit said. "Must have emergency rations. But I hid them a bit too well."

We looked around Rabbit's house and we found the extra honey that he had.

"There now, Pooh. Have just as much as you'd like." Rabbit said.

"Why, thank you!" Pooh said.

Pooh ate honey pot after honey pot until they were all empty. Pooh stood up and turned to us.

"Pardon me, Kind Somebody, but do you know where I might find another smackeral or two of honey?" Pooh said.

"He's like a bottomless pit!" I said.

Pooh looked around and walked over to a window hole on the side of Rabbit's house.

"My tummy seems to be telling me there's some honey right in there." Pooh said.

Pooh climbed into the hole, only able to get his front half through. His rear end hung out towards us.

"Bother. I'm stuck." He said.

"Ah, he still doesn't remember." Rabbit said. "What in the world has gotten into Pooh Bear?"

"Whatever it is, we'd better help him." Sora said.

"Maybe we should help him out of _this_ first." I said.

"Oh, stuff and fluff." Pooh said.

Sora grabbed onto Pooh's legs and everyone held on behind.

"One... two... three!" Sora cried.

Everyone pulled and Pooh flew out of the hole and into the air.

"I got you!" I said.

I reached out my arms. At the last second, I realized what a horrible idea this was. Pooh landed in my arms, but the momentum knocked me to the ground. Pooh sat on my stomach.

"Ow..." I said.

"Why, thank you, Hallie." Pooh said, rolling off of me.

"No problem." I said with a wince.

The others ran over to us. Sora helped me up.

"You're okay now, Pooh." Sora said.

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you." Rabbit said. "Why just- just look at him! He doesn't even remember who I am. Perhaps it's all this blustery wind, or- or maybe he actually needs more honey! Or he's- he's sleep-walking and- and dreaming!"

Pooh walked up to Rabbit.

"Well, if I am dreaming- which I suppose I could be- I hope that I get to the part where you invite me to lunch again very soon, Rabbit." Pooh said.

"That's right, you're always stopping by for lunch!" Rabbit gasped. "Wait! Pooh! You called me "Rabbit"!"

"Well, of course, Rabbit."

"What about Eeyore? D-D-Do you remember Eeyore, too, Pooh?" Piglet said.

"Oh, hello there, Eeyore. It's ever so nice to see you today."

"Thanks for noticing me, Pooh Bear." Eeyore said.

Sora leaned over and pointed at himself, smiling hopefully.

"And hello to you, too, Somebody-I-Don't-Know!" Pooh said.

Sora sighed.

"Well, at least you remember Rabbit and Eeyore now." Sora said.

* * *

><p>The cutout of Rabbit's house shimmered with light and popped up onto the book. More light came down onto an erased spot in the book, revealing a tree house with double mailboxes.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and Sora go into the world inside Pooh's storybook to help the yellow bear regain his memory that had been stolen when the Heartless scattered the book's pages. They help out his friends, Piglet, Eeyore, and Rabbit. Pooh regains his memories of those friends, but it seems like it's going to take a lot more to get him to remember Sora.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	41. A Very Important Promise

**CHAPTER FORTY ONE**

We walked down the path and met up with Piglet and Pooh.

"Hi!" Sora said.

"Well, hello, Sora!" Piglet said. "And hello, Hallie!"

"Yes, hello there, Hallie and Somebody-I-Don't-Know." Pooh said.

I giggled and Sora sighed. A female kangaroo, Kanga, came hopping over. She had a baby kangaroo, Roo, dressed in a blue turtleneck sweater nestled in her pouch.

"Eeyore told me Pooh wasn't quite himself." Kanga said. "I thought this might be just what the poor dear needed."

"Yeah, I hope it'll make Pooh better!" Roo said.

A tiger came bouncing over on his tail, mumbling some strange song.

"A present! For me?" the tiger said. "Why, presents are what Tiggers like best! And it's not even my birthday!"

Tigger took the medicine bottle from Kanga and bounced away.

"But Tigger! That's not for you!" Kanga said.

"Wait, Tigger!" Roo cried, climbing out of his mother's pouch and hopping after Tigger.

"Oh, dear..." Piglet said.

"C'mon, let's go after him." Sora said.

We went over to Tigger and told him about what was going on with Pooh.

"You're saying Pooh even forgot about ME?!" Tigger cried.

"Yes, Tigger." Piglet said.

"That bottle you thought was a present was medicine to make Pooh better." Sora said.

"Aw, who needs medicine?! Why, some tiggeriffic bouncing will jog his memory for sure!" Tigger said.

Tigger bounced around us.

"Well, Pooh?" Tigger said.

"That looks like fun, Somebody-I-Don't-Know." Pooh said.

"I think it's going to take more than you bouncing around to make Pooh remember you." I said.

"Of course! We all gotta bounce together! That'll do the trick!" Tigger said.

"All of us? Well..."

"C'mon, Hallie! You wanted to come with me, so you have to participate!" Sora said.

He grabbed my hand and dragged me after the others. We came to a trampoline tarp. We bounced on it. Balloons flew by, and when we bounced on them, it took us higher into the air.

"I bet you remember me now, don't you, buddy-bear!" Tigger said.

"Well, I remember that bouncing always makes me hungry." Pooh said.

Tigger gasped, then slumped forward.

"All that bouncin' and he still doesn't remember me?" Tigger said glumly. "Well the, I guess bouncin's not the answer. It makes a Tigger almost never wanna bounce again..."

"Aw, Tigger." I said.

Tigger looked at the medicine bottle and tossed it over his shoulder. It landed on the ground in front of Pooh and Piglet.

"Oh, please be careful with that." Piglet said.

"Aw, sorry little Piglet..." Tigger said. "but Pooh not rememberin' me has me confuzled. I don't even feel like bouncin'!"

"But Tigger, I always thought that bouncing was what Tiggers did best." Pooh said.

"Pooh Boy! You remember me! You do remember your ol' buddy Tigger after all! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! That's great!"

Tigger bounced around on his tail, laughing. Sora placed his hands behind his head.

"Another one down." I said. "Think he remembers you now?"

Sora shrugged.

* * *

><p>Light shimmered around the cutout of Kanga's house and it popped up on the book. More light shimmered on an erased spot, revealing a dark cave with clouds hanging around it.<p>

We walked into the cave, where everyone was.

"Hey, everyone..." Sora said.

"Is something wrong?" I said.

Everyone turned to us. Sora looked around.

"Uh-oh... Where's Pooh?" Sora said.

"He went in there." Piglet said.

Everyone turned to the cave entrance then back to us.

"Do you think there might be a jagular hiding inside?" Rabbit said.

"A jagular?" I said.

"Jagular... well, now." Owl said. "That reminds me of when dear cousin Alphonse-"

"Say, why are you all sitting around here?" Gopher said. "If you're worried about that bear, let's go find him!"

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Tigger said.

"Yeah, let's go!" Roo said.

"But if there really is a jagular, we'd better think this through." Rabbit said.

"It seems we've got a bit of time. Why don't I just resume where I left off?" Owl said. "My cousin- that is, my father's younger sister's-"

"What do you think we should do, Sora?" Kanga said.

Sora crossed his arms.

"Let's go inside and look for Pooh." I said. "Sora and I will lead the way."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>We ran through the cave. Sora and I led the way with the others following behind us. We helped the group with when to go and when to stop. When clusters of bees came, Sora and I drove them away. At one moment, the group began to panic and run around crazily, but we calmed them down and continued. We found Pooh deep in the cave. He sat on a pile of rocks, thinking deeply about something.<p>

"Pooh, there you are!" I said. "You had everyone worried."

"Why did you come in here?" Sora said.

"I was looking for a very dear friend that I remember I made a very important promise to." Pooh said.

"So, did you find him?"

"No, I looked and looked. But he doesn't seem to be anywhere."

Tigger jumped forward and tackled Pooh to the ground.

"Oh, Pooh Boy! So there you are." Tigger said.

"But, Tigger, did you have to bounce me so... bounce-ily?" Pooh said, rubbing his head.

"Gosh, I thought a jagular had gotten ya!"

"Oh dear... I hadn't thought of that." Pooh said, looking around. "I do hope a jagular hasn't gone and gobbled up my friend!"

"Now, try to remember, Pooh." Kanga said. "Isn't Sora the one you're looking for?"

Sora raised a hopeful eyebrow at Pooh. Pooh gasped as we heard a small rumbling sound.

"Oh! The jagular!" he cried.

"No, it's just your tummy grumbling." Sora said, poking Pooh's stomach. "You must be hungry. C'mon... Let's head home and see if we can find you some honey."

"I'd like that, Sora."

Sora gasped and smiled. "Pooh! You- you finally remembered!"

"Remembered what, Sora?"

"Pooh..."

"I like it ever so much when you're cheerful, Sora."

"Me too, Pooh."

I held my hands behind my back and smiled.

"Oh... There's a bit of a rumbly in my tumbly." Pooh said.

"All right, then... let's go home." Sora said.

He reached out a hand to Pooh. Pooh took it and together we walked out of the cave.

"It must be nice to remember and be remembered." I said.

Sora reached out and held my hand with his free one.

* * *

><p>Light shimmered around the cutout of the Spooky Cave and it popped up on the book. Light shimmered on the final erased spot of the book, revealing a cutout of a hill sitting underneath a starry sky.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and Sora continue to restore Pooh's memory, helping him to remember Tigger, Kanga, and Roo. The group goes into a cave, where they believe Pooh has run off into, and they fear something bad has happened to him. Hallie and Sora lead the gang into the heart of the cave, where they learn that Pooh was looking for an old friend of his, someone who was very dear to him. The old friend turned out to be Sora, and Pooh finally remembered him.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**

**Because of the short chapter, I will be posting two today. Happy reading!**


	42. Lifelong Friends

**CHAPTER FORTY TWO**

We walked down the path to the hill. It was nighttime. The sky was clear and the moon and stars were shining. At the top of the hill was a large oak tree, a log at the edge, and one Pooh Bear sitting with a honey pot on his head.

"Oh, bother." he said, trying to get the pot off.

"Are you all right?" Sora said.

"Sora? Hallie? Is that you?" Pooh called. "Help!"

We ran across the bridge and up to the hill over to Pooh.

"Hmm... that pot is pretty stuck on your head, Pooh." I said, giving the pot a good yank. "I don't know if we can get it off."

"Oh?" Sora said. "Just watch."

He picked Pooh up and spun him around. When the timing was right, Sora yanked Pooh up into the air and caught him. The pot flew off and broke in the distance.

"Why, thank you, Sora." Pooh said.

"You're welcome." Sora said. We sat down on the log on both sides of Pooh. "So, what were you doing here?"

"I was thinking: Perhaps there's a way to make it so you won't go away." Pooh said.

"You mean a way to make me stay?"

"Yes. Would there be such a thing as a way to make it so you don't go away again?"

"Pooh..."

I watched Sora look up at the big yellow moon in the sky. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard to try and diminish it.

"Don't worry." Sora said, turning his gaze back to Pooh. "I promise I'll come back and visit you now and then."

"Could you make it "now and now" instead?" Pooh said. "That seems a bit better to me. Sora, if I got looking for you, will I find you?"

"I'll always be with you- right here." Sora touched the spot on Pooh's chest right above his heart. "You don't have to go anywhere. Just stay here, and you can see me anytime you want."

"You mean I just have to stay right here?"

"Yep, that's all."

"Would you promise?"

"Promise."

Piglet jumped up onto the log.

"I promise too!" he cried.

The rest of the 100 Acre Wood gang gathered around us.

"And so do Roo and I." Kanga said.

"We sure do!" Roo said.

"You're welcome to visit us anytime, Sora. You too, Hallie." Rabbit said.

"Thanks." Sora said.

"After all, I must tell you of my Uncle Albert's adventures at sea." Owl said.

"Guess you'll be stayin' awhile." Eeyore said.

"Goodbye, Sora. Goodbye, Hallie." Gopher said.

"If you ever get lonely, just start bouncin' and think of your pal Tigger!" Tigger said.

Sora and I hopped off of the log.

"Are you leaving?" Pooh said.

"Yes. We really have to go." Sora said.

Pooh laid his paws over his heart. "Well, I won't be sad, because you'll always be right here forever and ever. Right, Sora? Hallie?"

I looked at the faces of all my friends: Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Eeyore, Roo, Kanga, Owl, Gopher, and Sora. I felt something inside of me swell to the point where I felt I couldn't breathe.

"And all of you... are right here too." Sora said, laying a hand over his heart.

"Yes." I whispered. I brought a hand to my heart and smiled. "Forever."

Pooh smiled.

"See ya." Sora said.

We hopped down from the hill and crossed the bridge.

"Hallie? Are you all right?" Sora said.

"Yes... I was just thinking..." I said. "I never thought I could feel so much love from a simple promise. When I started off, I thought that I would never feel that again. But you gave me something that I lost long ago..."

I held my hands together in front of me.

"You have poured so many memories into me... given me so much... that I feel like I'm about to overflow." I said. "I'm glad I got to meet you. Oh... and of course, Donald and Goofy, too. And Callum. You're all my best friends."

Sora remained silent. He reached over and held his hands over mine. I looked up at him and flinched at the beauty of his eyes in the moonlight. The blue absorbed the light, making me almost too intimidated to look into them. They saw me and only me. His mouth curled up into a small, soft smile.

A chill ran down my spine. _Has he always looked at me that way? Am I giving him that same look?_

I heard a large clicking sound, like something unlocking to the beat of a ticking clock. As I looked at Sora, I knew for sure that he was hearing it, too.

"Oh." Sora said. "That reminds me..."

He let go and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a doll and placed it in my hands. It had red yarn hair tied up in two pigtails, pale skin, green buttons for eyes, and a silky blue dress. I brushed my fingers through her hair.

"This... is from Halloween Town." I said. "You kept it with you this whole time?"

Sora nodded and scratched the back of his head. "I was going to give it to someone else... but then I remembered how happy it made you. I thought you'd like it better, so..."

I held the doll to my heart. I knew what he meant: Kairi. He wanted to give the doll to her. But why me instead? Why did he change his mind? I leaned over and gave him a hug.

"Thank you." I said. Sora smiled and hugged me tight.

_In the end, you'll know which people really love you. They're the ones who see you for who you are and no matter what, always find a way to be at your side._

"Goodbye, Sora! Goodbye, Hallie!" Pooh called.

We pulled away and turned to our friends on top of Starry Hill. They all smiled and waved to us.

"This isn't a goodbye! Only a "see you later"!" I called. "So, see you later!"

I could feel Sora's eyes still on me. He reached over and took my hand, intertwining our fingers. I looked at him in surprise, but then it melted into a smile. We waved to our new lifelong friends. We turned and walked down the path, our hands still together.

* * *

><p>The last page of Pooh's storybook was of the 100 Acre Wood gang standing at the top of Starry Hill, looking down the path. The book closed, showing the old tattered cover. Light shimmered over the cover and revealed a new one. The title "WINNIE THE POOH" rested on the top center of the book. Below the title, Sora sat on the ground, leaning back on his hands. Pooh sat on one side of him. Hallie sat on the other side, leaning against Sora's shoulder. Sora rested his head against the top of hers. The three of them looked up at the starry sky.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and Sora say goodbye to their storybook friends. Wishing that they would stay, Sora makes a promise to Pooh that as long as he keeps them inside his heart, they would always be together.**

**Could something be surfacing between Hallie and Sora?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	43. Show Me Your Strength

**CHAPTER FORTY THREE**

"We've gone to all the worlds, yet no sign of the Organization's stronghold." I said after Sora and I reappeared in Merlin's house and regathered with our friends.

"There's one more world that I think might be the one." Sora said.

"What's that?" Donald said.

"Twilight Town."

"Then we'll head over there right now!"

"Not quite yet..."

I crossed my arms.

"Just one more thing that we have to do." Sora said. "And then it's off to Twilight Town."

We all nodded.

* * *

><p>We followed Sora to the Dark Depths, where we saw Sephiroth standing at the cliff edge and looking at the castle in the distance.<p>

"What is Cloud doing?" Sephiroth said.

"Beats me." Sora said.

"Hmph. By the way, you people..." Sephiroth whipped around, drew his sword and pointed it at us. "Who are you?"

We jumped back and Sora and I summoned our Keyblades.

"I'm not sure we should tell ya." Goofy said.

Sephiroth stared at our Keyblades.

"Well... That's an interesting sword you're carrying." he said.

"It's the Keyblade!" Donald said.

"I see... So that's a Keyblade. And I suppose you two must be its chosen wielders."

"Yeah, what's it to you?" I said.

"I wonder if it won't change its mind- once I defeat you."

Sephiroth flapped his single black wing, creating a powerful gust of wind. Sora and I stood our ground as Donald, Goofy, and Callum tumbled back. A light pink barrier appeared before them, cutting off their path.

"Sora! Hallie!" Callum called.

"Show me your strength, Keyblade chosen ones." Sephiroth said.

"You want a fight? Then you'll get one." I said, striking my battle stance.

Sephiroth shot forward. We held up our Keyblades and blocked, then we attacked. As we attacked, Sephiroth disappeared in a flash of darkness. He appeared behind us. We jumped back and dodged his slashes. I parried and shoved Sephiroth back with the butt of my Keyblade. As Sephiroth slashed again, I jumped back. Balls of dark energy appeared around me.

"Hallie!" Sora called.

He jumped in front of me and cast Reflega, creating a white barrier around us. The dark energy smashed against the shield, bounced back, and hit Sephiroth. Sephiroth raised his hand and the ground beneath us suddenly turn yellow and black. Sora grabbed my hand and yanked me away as a huge geyser of dark fire erupted where I once stood. We sprinted across the cliff as the geysers chased us. Once they stopped, we charged at Sephiroth. We jumped in the air and brought our Keyblades down, delivering one final slash.

Sephiroth disappeared in a flash of darkness and reappeared at his original spot at the edge of the cliff. The barrier disappeared and Donald, Goofy, and Callum returned to our side.

"How'd you like that?" Sora said.

Sephiroth nonchalantly brushed dust off of his shoulder.

"I admit you're very skilled... but apparently, Cloud is the only one who can eliminate me." Sephiroth said. He chuckled and turned around, facing the castle again. "Tell Cloud to come here. Tell him Sephiroth is looking to settle things."

* * *

><p>We ran to town plaza, where we saw Cloud looking around.<p>

"Have you seen Sephiroth?" Cloud said.

"He's in the Dark Depths." Sora said.

"I see... So I guess it's time we settled this."

Cloud walked past us and away.

"Cloud..." Sora said.

* * *

><p>"Did you give him my message?" Sephiroth said when we returned to the Dark Depths.<p>

"Maybe." Sora said.

"Sorry to keep you, Sephiroth!"

Cloud walked up to us with his sword drawn. Sephiroth approached Cloud.

"Cloud... You'll never let go of the darkness..." he said.

"Shut up." Cloud said, pointing his sword at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth drew his sword. "You'll never let go of your past..."

"Shut up!"

Cloud charged and attacked, but Sephiroth blocked.

"Cloud! Get him!" Sora called.

Donald squawked and covered his eyes, only to peek through the slits. Their swords clanged together, creating sparks that flew to the ground. They brought their swords together and their faces were close to each other.

"Absurd." Sephiroth said. "Defeating me is meaningless. You know that more than anyone, Cloud. No matter how many times I fall, your darkness keeps calling me back!"

Cloud scowled and struggled against Sephiroth's strength.

"Wrong!" a voice called.

"Tifa! Stay back!" Cloud said.

"How can I?" Tifa said. "I want to help you."

Sephiroth pushed Cloud back.

"You can't." Sephiroth said, pointing his sword at Cloud. "He'll never let go of the darkness."

"He doesn't have to. He just needs someone to surround him with light." Tifa said.

Sephiroth pointed his sword at Tifa. She jumped back.

"The darkness will be there, Sephiroth- but in a place you can't reach."

"Is that right?" Sephiroth said. "Let's see what this light of yours can do."

Sephiroth slashed, but Tifa dodged it. She lunged forward with her fist, but Sephiroth backed away. There was a flash of light.

"No!" Cloud cried.

Tifa jumped forward, throwing punches and kicks at Sephiroth, but he dodged them. Sephiroth shot his hand out and pushed Tifa back. She landed at the edge of the cliff. Sephiroth slashed at Tifa, but she dodged with ease. There was another flash of light.

"Look out!" Sora called.

Sephiroth lunged towards Cloud, but he jumped away and in front of Tifa.

"Cloud, you can have my light." Tifa said.

"The light doesn't suit you." Sephiroth said.

"I just..." Cloud said. "don't know."

Cloud shimmered with light.

"Stop!" Sephiroth cried.

He lunged forward in the air towards Cloud. Cloud brought his sword back, glowing with light. Sephiroth stopped in the air. Cloud jumped in the air with Sephiroth following after him. There was a flash of light and Cloud and Sephiroth were gone.

"Huh?" Sora said.

"Where did they go?" I said.

"Do ya think they made it back to their own world?" Goofy said.

"They went somewhere else..." Sora said. "Cloud went to fight a great battle- to defeat the darkness inside him."

"Gone again." Tifa said. She sighed.

"What will you do now?"

"Hm... Guess I'll keep looking."

"Got any leads?"

"Don't worry... Light is easy to find."

Tifa walked over to us.

"I gotta go. Here. This is for helping me out." Tifa said. She placed something in mine and Sora's hand.

"But wait- when did we help?" Sora said.

We thought about it. Donald squawked in confusion. We looked up to see Tifa walking away. I looked down at my hand. In it was a key chain that would unlock the Keyblade Fenrir. I closed my hand around the key chain.

"We'll meet again soon, Cloud." I said.

I placed the key chain in my pocket and dispelled my Keyblade.

"All right, Spike." Callum said. "Any other last minute things we need to take care of?"

Sora crossed his arms.

"Not that comes to mind." he said. "I think we're all done."

_Wait... _a male voice whispered in my mind.

"Wait." I said at the same time. I stared at the ground for a moment before looking up at my friends. "There's... one more place..."

My friends all looked at me, but I avoided their gaze and touched my charm necklace. "It's weird... I feel like someone's calling to me." I turned around to gaze at the castle in the distance.

There was a pause, and I wondered if my friends shared strange looks behind my back, but when I turned to them, they looked at me with understanding and intrigue.

"Where do you want to go?" Sora said.

The fact they were willing to cooperate wholeheartedly surprised me. I smiled and nodded.

"Let's get to the Gummi ship." I said. "I'll drive."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The search for Organization XIII's stronghold has narrowed down to Twilight Town, but before they go visit the world, Sora says there's one more thing that needs to be taken care of. They head to the Dark Depths in Radiant Garden, where they meet Sephiroth. The one-winged angel challenges Hallie and Sora to a battle. The Keyblade duo is victorious, but Sephiroth says only Cloud is capable of defeating him forever. So, the gang goes to tell Cloud, and they follow him back and witness the epic clash. Tifa steps in and offers her light to Cloud, and in the end, Cloud and Sephiroth are transported away, but the gang knows they'll see them again someday. Sora declares they're all done, but Hallie begs to differ. A mysterious voice beckons to her, and Hallie is drawn to find the source.**

**Who was the voice calling out to Hallie? Where they're heading to next, will they be able to find them?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


	44. An Embodiment of Armor

**AUTHOR'S NOTE #1:**

**With the end of the school year coming to a close in a little over a month, I've decided I want to get my Kingdom Hearts II fan fiction finished before summer starts. That means I will be posting at least twice a week, Mondays and Fridays, starting April 27th (today). This story has about twelve chapters left (WOW, I can't believe how far I've gotten.), so that means this story will finish on the first Friday of June. That's perfect, because a week later, the next installment of Hallie's adventure will begin, which I will post over the summer and return to my original posting schedule.  
><strong>

**I've been crossing my fingers with my original posting schedule, every Friday, because I'm hoping it will cover the time between now and when Kingdom Hearts III comes out. Since we have no idea when that day is, I am currently on a writing hiatus with Hallie's adventures. BUT DO NOT FRET! As of right now, I have four- yes, FOUR- more Kingdom Hearts fan fictions that have already been written, with one I am currently researching a lot about before I begin writing it, and they are all waiting anxiously to be published. They are all continuations of Hallie's adventure... two of them about two different characters that are deeply connected to Hallie. Start your guessing of who they could be!  
><strong>

**I'm SO excited to share these final chapters with you guys, with Twilight Town, The World That Never Was, and all the stuff that'll happen in between! I mean, as I'm writing this, I'm getting so hyped up! I hope you're as excited as I am! ENJOY!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FORTY FOUR<strong>

The cheeriness of Disney Castle lightened my heart and the sight of the multiple colors lifted my spirits. We exited the Gummi Hangar and strolled through the Courtyard and the Colonnade without the need to summon our Keyblades. My friends followed me in a huddled group as I escorted them into the Audience Chamber. We walked down the never-ending red carpet pathway and reached King Mickey's throne, where Sora tapped underneath the left armrest. The chair slid to the side, revealing the stairway that led to the Hall of the Cornerstone. We entered the room and saw Chip and Dale. They turned to us and jumped in the air excitedly.

"Sora! Hallie! Nice work!" Chip said. "We've never been prouder!"

"But look over there!" Dale cried, cracking his voice at least 5 times in that sentence.

The Cornerstone glowed in the center of the room, but on the wall opposite of us, a gigantic portal churned with strange energy.

"A big light appeared and that hole opened." Dale said.

My friends looked to me as I stared at the swirling portal. I walked over slowly until I was face-to-face with it.

"In here." I said.

"What?! You want us to go in there?!" Donald said. Of course he would be the one to complain.

I stared at the portal with the same effect of a psychic swinging a clock back and forth to lull you into hypnosis. I blinked a few times before I turned to my friends. I nodded with a determined scowl. Donald humbled himself and all my friends nodded back.

"The voice? Is it coming from there?" Callum said. "Do you know who it is?"

I turned halfway to look at the portal. "Yes? No? Maybe? I don't know... but to be fair, I don't know about a lot of things. I guess we'll have to find out." I said. I looked at my friends. "You ready?"

They all nodded. We walked into the portal.

* * *

><p>We took a few steps forward, then stopped to take in our surroundings. We stood in a deserted plain. The air felt so dry my hair threatened to stick out in a static mess. Giant protrusions of rocks and plateaus were scattered around the area. The ground was cracked worse than my lips when I forgot to put on chapstick for a few days.<p>

"Where... are we?" Callum said.

The rest of us remained silent as a sudden wind storm picked up in front of us, carrying layers of dirt and dust and swirling them around. My head pounded with the rhythm of my heartbeat. The dust subsided and my breath caught in my throat.

An embodiment of armor knelt against the ground in front of us, colored in dark shades of gold, brown, and red, with dull orange lines decorating it as well. Its gold cape fluttered in the calm breeze, with blue interior. Its armored hands rested on top of a big and powerful-looking Keyblade: Ends of the Earth.

_"Aqua... Ven..."_

I gasped. The voice came from the armor. The sight of the mysterious figure was just as impacting to me as the names spoken from its non-visible lips. Sora and Callum summoned Kingdom Key and Omega Weapon.

"Callum?" I said. "Sora?"

They remained silent as they glared at the armored personage. Donald and Goofy pulled out their weapons and all my friends struck their battle stances. I turned around to face them.

"What are you all doing?!" I said.

"_Keyblade... Who are you?"_

I faced the armored being.

"Who are _you_?" I said quietly.

_"I can feel it... We have met before..."_

The pounding in my head doubled, but I forced myself to ignore it.

"Yes... we have..." The tone of my voice was strangely calm. "But where? Tell me, please."

_"Hall... Ahlli..."_

"Yes, yes. My name is Hallie."

"Hallie, what are you doing?" Callum said. I shot him a nasty glare and he shut up immediately. I turned back to the armored man.

"What's your name? And why are you here?"

_"No, you are not the one... You aren't the one I chose..." _the voice whispered. _"Why aren't you him?"_

"Him?" My eyes dropped to the ground as my mind supplied me with the information behind his words. I turned around and met eyes with Sora. "I... think he's talking to you, Sora."

"Me?" Sora said, losing his angry scowl for only a moment before gripping his Keyblade tighter.

"What's gotten into you all? Why not try and see if you can make a friend instead of attacking them?"

_"Xe...ha...nort... Is it you...?"_ the male voice continued. I turned back around. The creature spoke to me now.

"What?" I said. "Is everything all right?"

_"Xeha...nort..." _The name stung my brain intensely, a close second to the first time I heard it. _"Xehanort!"_

The armored being used his wedged Keyblade to push himself to his feet. He paused a moment before he took the handle of Ends of the Earth in his right hand and easily withdrew it from the ground. The intensity in the air grew between my friends and the mysterious figure.

"Wait! Stop!" I cried, taking a few more steps towards the being. "What are you talking about? Who's Xehanort?!"

_"XEHANORT!"_ The mysterious creature lifted his Keyblade in the air. I gasped as he slashed down at me.

"Hallie!" Sora and Callum shoved me out of the way and blocked the attack with their Keyblades. The strength of the personage caused the two to tremble. The impact of the shove sent me to the ground. I felt tiny pebbles scratch their way into my arm and elbow. I propped myself up as my breathing accelerated. With their combined strength, Callum and Sora pushed the armored being back.

"Get up!" Donald squawked at me. His voice snapped me back into reality. I scrambled to my feet and summoned Chaos Ripper.

The creature turned his head to me, and I knew he stared at my Keyblade. He paused for a moment. _I'm not your enemy..._ I wanted to say, but Callum slashed his Keyblade. It hit the armored figure in the chest and he skidded back, but did not fall. I knew now we were past the point of reasoning and chitchat. I had to fight.

The armored creature threw his Keyblade into the air and jumped after it. There was a flash of light and Ends of the Earth changed into a glider. The armored creature sat on the glider and charged towards me. I rolled out of the way as it zoomed past. It flew around in circles at lightning speeds, and every time it came for us, we used our Keyblades to deflect it. The creature landed on the ground with his Keyblade, and in that moment of transition, we attacked. Donald cast Thundaga, and while the armor twitched uncontrollably, Goofy rammed into it with his shield. I ran forward and slashed with Chaos Ripper, but the creature snapped out of its faze and blocked. Immediately, I kicked my leg up and swiped it towards its head, but it reached out and grabbed my ankle with its free hand. I cried out as it flung me across the plain. I tumbled against the ground and coughed up dirt that made its way into my lungs. The armor lunged at me.

"Hallie!" There was a flash of light and I closed my eyes and braced myself. When nothing happened, I opened my eyes and gasped. Sora stood over me with a shield of Reflega wrapped around us. The creature's Keyblade dug into the magic shield, creating sparks. The color of Sora's clothes were different. His vest was still black, but his sleeves were white and the interior of his hood was blue. His shirt and shorts were a rich red and his shoes were bright yellow.

"Sora..." I said.

"Are you gonna sit there all day or help me?" Sora winced as the armored creature pressed his Keyblade harder against the shield. He raised his Keyblade again. I pulled Sora away as the magic faded and the creature slammed his Keyblade into the ground, creating a deep and rectangular scar in the ground.

"This guy is tougher than Sephiroth." I said. Sora only nodded.

"That'll only make beating him that much more satisfying." Callum said.

Donald and Goofy laid unconscious against the ground, leaving us three Keyblade wielders left standing against the mysterious armored figure.

"This guy's fighting is good. I give him points for his dedication." Callum said.

"Dedication..." I said quietly. I stared at the creature, who stood poised in his strong battle stance, waiting for our next move. "What's another word for dedication?"

Callum and Sora shared a bizarre look, wondering why in the world I would be asking this at such an inconvenient time.

"Drive?" Sora said.

"Commitment?" Callum said.

My face showed my internal epiphany. "Will."

I dispelled my Keyblade and took a step forward. Callum and Sora each grabbed one of my hands.

"Hallie, what are you doing?!" Sora said. I glanced back at him and calmly shook off their grips.

I turned back to the creature, who surprised me by withholding itself for this long. With each step I took, the grips my friends had on their Keyblades tightened, and they stood ready just in case they had to step in and play hero again.

But I knew there was no need.

_"Xe...ha...xeha..."_ The male's voice echoed in my mind. I grew used to the intense pounding in my head.

We stood only a few feet away. I looked up at the armor's face, which was just a visor that reflected my own image. I sucked in a slow, deep breath.

"Terra."

Everything grew quiet. The wind stopped altogether. The stings to my brain steadily faded. The armored creature stared down at me, but no fear struck my heart. Callum and Sora stood with me, one on each side.

_"No... not... Xehanort... but... I see. Your heart... is strong..."_ the male calmly said. He looked to Sora. _"Who is inside you is..."_

There was silence again. The creature took Ends of the Earth and stabbed it back into the earth. Placing its hands on top of the handle, the being dropped to its knees. Healing magic restored Donald and Goofy back to consciousness.

"Hallie." Callum said. I turned to my friends, who all watched me. Behind us, the portal of strange energy returned. "What...?"

I lowered my head slowly and shook my head. I knew he intended to ask me the 5 W's and 1 H about us being here. _Who is that creature? What caused it to attack us like that? When were you going to tell me you went mentally insane? Where are we? Why did he accuse me of being someone named "Xehanort"? How did I know its name?_

To be honest... I knew none of those answers myself. It was another moment of my brain overflowing with mysterious knowledge I never knew I had, the same as when I met Yen Sid and my abrupt outbursts when we faced certain members of Organization XIII. Maybe they're all connected. Maybe that armored being, or perhaps the person it belongs to, as well as those he mentioned, have some of the answers of my past.

And yet, all I yearned to know were the faces belonging to the names it uttered. It was one of those moments when no secret knowledge was revealed, but I know deep inside I knew the answers. How long would I keep playing this game?

"Let's go." Sora said quietly. He placed his hands on my shoulders and gently guided me towards the portal. My eyes lingered on the mysterious armor that knelt in the middle of the deserted plain. One by one, my friends walked into the portal. I stared up at it for a few moments.

_"Aqua..."_ I stopped and turned around. The creature made no movements. My hand reached up and touched my charm.

"See you later... Terra." I said.

_"Ven..."_ He spoke those names with closure.

I turned back around and stepped into the portal.

* * *

><p>I returned to the familiarity of Disney Castle. My friends and I all turned and watched as the portal slowly closed. I turned to my friends, who all studied me.<p>

"Is there anything else?" Goofy said.

I shook my head. "No."

"So that means..." Donald said.

"It's time." Callum said. His face paled. "Next stop, Twilight Town."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE #2:<strong>

**A mysterious voice leads Hallie and the gang back to Disney Castle, where they discover a giant portal of energy within the Hall of the Cornerstone. Hallie knows the voice is coming from the other side of the portal, so they step inside. They end up in a strange, barren land. The mysterious voice belongs to a being covered in armor and wielding a Keyblade, someone Hallie seems to recognize, as well as the names of those it uttered. As Hallie tries to get more information from it, the armor-claded figure attacks her, calling her "Xehanort". With no other choice, Hallie and the gang are forced to fight the power creature. As the battle intensifies, the gang realizes how powerful their formidable opponent is. Hallie learns of the way to beat him: she approaches the armored creature and speaks his name. Terra. The fight comes to an end as Terra's armor returns to its silent position, waiting for something or someone unknown to the group. The portal closes off, leaving Hallie with a feeling that she would meet the mysterious Terra again, as well as the people he mentioned. It was the final task on her to-do list. Now that everything has been taken care of, the moment has finally arrived; The gang heads off to Twilight Town to find Organization XIII's world.  
><strong>

**Why did Terra accuse Hallie of being Xehanort? Why did he call her there in the first place? What awaits Hallie in Twilight Town?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!  
><strong>


	45. Ask Your Memories

**CHAPTER FORTY FIVE**

The gummi ship dropped off at Twilight Town's train station.

"Hey! I think we're almost there!" Goofy said.

"Huh?" we all said.

"Gawrsh, aren't we here because of the picture?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the picture. We looked at Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas standing in front of a mansion.

"Yeah! Goofy's right!" Donald said.

"C'mon, let's go find this mansion!" Goofy said.

I nodded, glanced back down at the photo, and put it back into my pocket.

* * *

><p>As we looked around the town, we were constantly ambushed by Nobodies. We found a giant hole in the wall in the Tram Common. We went through and walked through some woods, where the hoards of Nobodies were large and around every tree. We ran out of the woods and saw the mansion. It was old, and the gate was wide open now. Laying at the walls were Hayner, Pence, and Olette. We ran over to them.<p>

"Hey, are you all right?" Sora said, shaking Hayner. "What happened?"

Hayner struggled onto his hands and knees and pushed himself back onto his butt.

"We came here looking for Kairi." Hayner said. "Then those white things attacked us..."

"You gotta be careful!" Donald said.

"Yeah, you guys didn't have to go and do that." Sora said.

"Of course we did! Kairi's our friend, too, ya know." Hayner said.

Sora and Hayner stood up.

"You're right..." Sora said. "You know, I never thought of it like that before."

"We can look together." I said.

Everyone turned to the mansion.

"Word is, this mansion gets a lot of _really_ strange visitors." Hayner said.

"We thought this place might be the gateway to some kind of alternate Twilight Town." Olette said.

"Alternate Twilight Town?" Callum said. His face grew paler.

"Hey, Goofy, do you think we could see that crystal of yours?" Pence said.

Goofy nodded and pulled out the munny pouch and the blue crystal.

"I made that pouch myself, and I still have it." Olette said. "So there shouldn't be two of them here."

Hayner held up the struggle trophy.

"And this is the trophy Seifer gave you." he said. "You left it behind, remember?"

"It's the only one of its kind." Pence said. "Same for the crystals- red, blue, yellow, green- only one of each color. But you've got your own!"

"So... where'd you get it?"

Sora crossed his arms.

"The pouch is from the King." Goofy said. "When he gave us munny for the train ride, he gave us the crystal too."

"But then... where did the KING get it?" Pence said.

"See? There's gotta be another town out there like this one." Hayner said. "That would explain how the King got that pouch and the crystal. Everything makes sense."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other.

"It... does?" Sora said.

"That other town must be where whatever's missing from here went!" Pence said.

"Like Kairi." Olette said.

"I get it!" Sora said.

Suddenly, Dusks appeared behind us. We struck our battle stances. One Dusk squirmed abruptly and jumped into the air. King Mickey jumped from the woods and destroyed the Nobody with his Keyblade.

"Watch out!" he cried.

"Mickey!" I said.

A Dusk ran towards Olette. I summoned my Keyblade and jumped forward, slashing at it before it got to her.

"You guys go find someplace to hide." I said. "We'll take care of this."

Hayner, Pence, and Olette nodded and ran to hide. Sora transformed into his Master Form and cast magnified magic across the field, zapping and toasting Nobodies that appeared. Mickey and I ran forward and finished them off.

"I got somethin' to tell ya. I found out where Ansem is." Mickey said. "Ansem the Wise! The real Ansem! He snuck into Organization XIII's stronghold."

"And we've figured out where Kairi is! I'm pretty sure we're right." Sora said.

"But why'd you all come here?"

"Someone gave us a clue."

"Who?"

"Well, Your Majesty, Sora thinks it mighta been Riku." Goofy said.

"It's just a feeling I had." Sora said.

"Welp, if that's what ya think, then it's probably right." Mickey said.

"You mean Riku's okay!"

"If that's what ya think..."

Sora crossed his arms. "I've waited long enough, Your Majesty! Tell me what you know!"

Mickey turned around. "It's not for me to say."

"But Your Majesty! Why?"

"I don't wanna break my promise."

"You made a promise with Riku?! So he's okay! I can see him again!" Sora jumped in the air in excitement. Mickey covered his mouth.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette approached us.

"Huh? Who's Riku?" Hayner said.

"My best friend." Sora said.

"That's IT!" Pence said.

"Your Majesty? You got the pouch with the crystal from Riku, didn't you?" Olette said. "And you promised not to tell, right?"

"Gosh, guys..." Mickey said, scratching the back of his head.

"That's enough!" Donald cried.

"Yeah, let's go." Sora said. He turned to the mansion. "Kairi! Riku! We're on our way!"

* * *

><p>We entered the mansion. It was a mansion all right, but it seemed even bigger because it was nearly vacant, save the remains of smashed furniture.<p>

"There's gotta be a computer somewhere." Mickey said.

"A computer..." Pence said. "Do you think it's connected to that other Twilight Town?"

"It might. And there should be a way into the Realm of Darkness there."

"Riku told you that, didn't he?!" Sora said.

"Please, Sora. I made a promise."

"Aha! I knew it!"

"Hey! Stop pestering the King!" Donald cried.

Sora placed his hands behind his head. "Right. Sorry..."

I climbed up the stairs and into the upper west room. Everything in it was white. A long white dining table sat in the center of the room with two chairs at the opposite ends, with a white vase with white flowers inside at the center. More white flower vases were placed around the room. One wall had a large white dresser against it and a white vanity on the opposite wall. Around the walls on the room were sketches of places and people. I slowly walked around the room, looking at each of the pictures.

I paused and looked at one picture of the inside of a library, with green carpet and tall, dark brown bookcases stuffed with books of different colored covers. A large staircase wound down in the background. I reached up, and when my fingers came in contact with the paper, I felt a large shock strike in my head. I yanked my hand away and clutched my head.

"I... know that place...?" I said, my tone sounding more like a question rather than a statement.

"Yes." a voice said.

I gasped and whirled around. A girl sat in one of the white chairs at the end of the dining table. Her blonde hair laid over her right shoulder. Her deep blue eyes had some bangs covering them, but I knew they watched me as I stood there.

"Who are you?" I said.

The girl smiled.

"In some way, I'm an old friend." she said, bringing her hands together. "You're Hallie, yes?"

"Yeah..." I said.

She stood up and walked towards me. She wore a white dress and light blue sandals decorated with little white daisies.

"This room is very... white." I said. I pointed to the drawings on the walls. "Did you draw all of these?"

"Yes." the girl said.

"You're very good."

"Thank you."

I held my hands behind my back and we stared at each other.

"You're confused." the girl said.

"Huh? About what?" I said.

"About yourself... and your memories." The girl studied my face.

"Do you know something about it?"

The girl nodded. Hope bubbled in my stomach.

"Please, tell me something, _anything_. I need some answers." I said.

The girl turned around and walked back to the table. She picked up a sketchbook and walked back over to me.

"You were only a child when this happened to you." the girl said, gazing shyly at the sketchbook cover. "Someone locked away your memories. Someone who used to be so close to you."

"Who?" I said.

"You should ask your memories."

"How can I when they're locked away? What if I never get them back?"

"They've been trying to come back. When you would go to certain places or talk to certain people, you would feel some sort of mysterious pain in your head, right?"

"Yes, and it annoyed and hurt like crazy."

The girl smiled. "That pain was your memories. They're been fighting against the dark power that locked them away, trying to free themselves. The reason why it only occurred in certain places or with certain people is because your heart recognized them, but your mind was trying to find the memories and failed. You know those places. You knew those people. Long ago."

I crossed my arms.

"What about Organization XIII?" I said. "Some of them spoke enigmatically in a way like they knew me from some point of my life."

"Like who?"

"Um... Xigbar, Saix, and Xemnas."

The girl's face faltered.

"Hallie, you must be careful around them. Without your memories, you don't know the secrets they have that connect to you. You must believe me when I say that all Organization members are dangerous, but those three are the deadliest. Especially Xemnas and Xigbar."

"Okay... what about Demyx? When I first met him, he called me Callum for some reason."

The girl bowed her head and looked away.

"Is there something I don't know about Callum?" I said.

"When the time comes, you will find out." the girl said. "And when you do, please remember that sometimes things work out in ways that you didn't expect. But things always work out in the end."

"Huh?"

"Hallie!" a muffled voice called.

I looked to the door, then back at the girl. She began to fade.

"Wait!" I called.

The girl smiled comfortingly. "It's time for you to go." she said. She began to blink in and out. "Sora needs you."

"Sora?" I said.

My hand reached down and grazed the doll that laid clipped against my belt. I looked up at the girl and smiled.

"Thank you." I said. "Before I go, can I please know your name?"

The girl gawked at me, as if she was shocked that even after receiving all this information, this was my only request, but it soon melted into a smile. She reached up and laid a hand over her heart.

"My name... is Naminé." the girl said.

There was a flash of light. I covered my eyes and looked away. When the light faded, I opened my eyes and looked around. I was still in the White Room, but I was alone.

"Naminé... thank you." I whispered.

"Hallie!"

The door opened and Callum stepped in.

"There you are." he said. "We were looking all over for you."

"Oh. Sorry, I was just..." I said. "I was talking to a friend."

Callum raised his eyebrow at me, then shook his head.

"Okay, then." Callum said. "Let's go. We found the computer room."

Callum reached out and took my hand. A shock of frisson rushed up my spine, and I remembered what Naminé told me.

_What has he been hiding from me?_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang have arrived in Twilight Town. They head to the Haunted Mansion, led there by a clue from the photo they found of Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas while in the corridors of darkness. The town is filled with Nobodies. When they head to the Haunted Mansion, they find Hayner, Pence, and Olette being attacked by Nobodies. As they fight, King Mickey appears and joins them. Hayner, Pence, and Olette tell Hallie and the gang about the theory they have: that there is another Twilight Town, and the Haunted Mansion contains the pathway to it. Mickey tells them that Ansem the Wise had snuck into Organization XIII's stronghold. Sora tries to get information about Riku from Mickey, but the mouse king refuses to tell, saying he made a promise to Riku. Hallie and the gang enter and search the Haunted Mansion. Hallie stumbles upon an all-white room, where she meets a mysterious girl named **  
><strong>Naminé. <strong>**Naminé gives some awaited truth to Hallie: the flashes of pains she experienced when she was in certain places and encountered certain people are the memories of her past trying to free themselves, but someone who was once very close to Hallie used a powerful darkness to lock them away. She warns Hallie to be careful around certain members of Organization XIII because they know secrets about her past that she has yet to remember and could be used against her. She also tells her that Callum has been hiding something from her. **

**What secret has Callum been harboring?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	46. See You Later

**CHAPTER FORTY SIX**

We entered the upper east room, where the floor was opened up to reveal a room underground. We went down the stairs and through a door. In the corner of the room was a computer with multiple screens attached. Strange symbols zoomed across the screens.

"There!" Mickey said.

"We found it!" Sora cried.

We ran over to the computer.

"How does it work?" Donald said.

"I can handle it." Pence said.

He walked over and sat down.

"Okay... Here we go..." Pence said, typing on the multiple keyboards set before him. He groaned in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Hayner said.

Pence sighed. "I can't go any further without a password."

"Do ya have any idea what the password might be?" Mickey said.

Sora crossed his arms.

"Well, we only got a photo..." Goofy said.

I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.

"Yeah, and with it was an ice cream bar." I said.

"Yeah, the one Donald ate up." Sora said.

"Hey, that's it! Ansem the Wise loved ice cream!" Mickey said.

"Okay, what's the name of the flavor?" Pence said.

We thought to ourselves. I looked down at the photo of the gang. As I stared at Roxas, an image appeared in my mind. It was the same one that I had before during our second visit to Hollow Bastion. I saw the clock tower and the sound of laughter. I realized that I recognized that clock tower. It was the one here, in Twilight Town! The image zoomed in to a ledge on the clock tower. I saw four people dressed in black Organization XIII coats. I didn't see any faces, but I saw flashes of yellow, black, red, and brown hair. The four people held something in their hands: ice cream.

I snapped back into reality.

"Sea-Salt ice cream!" Callum and I said at the same time, my response like an exclamation while his sounded dry. I side-glanced at Callum, who stared forward at the computer.

Pence typed in the flavor.

"It worked!" he cried.

A beam came out from a hole in the ceiling. It shot down a few feet and created a small orb of light in the middle of the air.

"Let's go." Sora said.

"We'll be here to hold down the fort." Hayner said.

"Thanks." I said.

"Say hi to Kairi!" Olette said.

"You bet!" Sora nodded.

We walked forward and crammed into the small space. The beam created a pillar of coded light that surrounded us. The light subsided and we stepped forward.

"Are we back in the same place?" Sora said.

I looked to the computer area.

"No." I said.

We walked over to the computer, which was smashed and broken beyond repair.

"This is the other Twilight Town." Sora said. "Roxas's Twilight Town."

I could imagine Roxas smashing the computer to bits in a blinding rage with the Keyblade.

"There's gotta be an entrance into the dark realm somewhere." Mickey said. "Let's split up."

I looked to Callum, and he looked as white as a Nobody. We looked around and found an opened door that was closed in the real Twilight Town. Everyone walked through the door to the other room. As I took a step to the door, a hand grabbed mine.

"Wait, Hallie..." Callum said.

"What? What is it?" I said.

"When... when you go into that room..."

"Why are you saying "you"? You're coming with us!"

Callum looked to the ground.

"That's the thing. Beyond that room lies an entrance to the Organization's world. I... I have to leave."

It was silent. I realized that I stopped breathing.

"What?!" I cried. "You-you can't leave! Not after how much we've gone through! Not again!"

"Hallie... I'm sorry." Callum said.

"Can I at least have a reason why this time?"

"I... I don't know if I can tell you."

"See? That's the thing! Ever since I got you back, you've been nothing but secretive and staring at me like I'm some kind of hideous monster! But... I won't let you leave me again! The last time you did, it nearly killed me! You mean everything to me, Callum!"

Callum stared at me. A lump formed in my throat.

"Please... I... I love you." I said.

Callum's stare softened. I stared at the ground, clenching my fists.

"Well?! Aren't you going to say anything?!" I cried.

As I lifted my head, Callum stepped over to me, held my face in his hands, and kissed me. I was frozen in my spot, but my brain grinned from lobe to lobe. I waited for the moment to come: the magic sparks to erupt, fireworks to explode in an array of a million colors, and the final ceremonial event of my heart unlocking and the completion of the gypsy's fortune.

But that was the thing; there was none. No sparks. No fireworks. No unlocking.

I... felt...

Nothing.

_How could this be?! Callum was it! He was my key! I've been dreaming of this moment for YEARS! We'd kiss, our feelings would intertwine together, then in years to come we'd get married and have kids and live happily ever after! But this... THIS IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE! Why?! Where did I go wrong?!_

Callum pulled away and lingered his hands on my face.

"I'm not the key." he said.

I gasped and stepped back.

"...What?" I said. "What did you say?"

Callum shook his head and held my hands in his.

"Hallie, I love you too. I've loved you ever since I met you. Everyday, my feelings for you grow stronger, and when I left, it hurt to be without you." Callum said. He laid a hand over his chest. "But someone else has captured my heart... someone I love very much, who completed my existence. But one by one, the lives of my friends were ruined by the hands of Organization XIII. She was taken away from me. I'm... the only one who remembers her."

Callum reached into his pocket and pulled out the yellow and blue thalassa shell again. As he stared down at it, a strange feeling tingled in my stomach. What was this feeling? Sympathy for Callum? Rage towards the Organization? They all collided together, and above it all, the strongest was relief. Relief for what? Myself? Was I actually glad that Callum wasn't my key?

Callum closed his hand over the shell and looked at me. "I'm not your key from the gypsy's fortune. I'm sorry. I'm just a... a nobody..."

"No, you're not. You're my best friend." I said. I sighed. "But... what am I going to do now?"

"I might not be the person you're destined to be with, but when he does come along, and I know it will be very soon, you'll understand." Callum said. "Your key... he is someone who opens your eyes to things in ways you'd never imagine. He is always there for you no matter what and he does everything he can to be at your side. He makes you truly happy. He makes you laugh when you're sad, smile when you cry, and hope when it is nowhere to be found. Even if it means putting his life on the line, he protects you and cares for you. But most of all, he loves you more deeply and truly than I'd ever be able to."

"Callum..."

Callum leaned over and kissed my forehead. He rested his forehead against mine.

"I'll always be with you, Hallie." he whispered. "In your heart and in your memories."

Tears streamed down my face. Callum collected me into a hug. I held on tightly, as if for dear life.

"I love you, Hallie."

"I love you, too, Callum."

Callum let go of me and smiled. He took a few steps back and stood in the center of the room. I took a deep breath, wiped the tears from my face, and smiled back.

"Goodbye." I said.

Callum shook his head. "Not goodbye... See you later."

I laughed lightly. "See you later."

I turned around and walked into the other room. There, the others waited for me.

"There you are, Hallie." Sora said. "Look!"

In the corner of the room was a small portal that swirled green, black, and orange. We walked over to it.

"This is it." Mickey said.

"This will take us to the Organization's world." I said.

Sora studied my face.

"Is something wrong, Hallie?" he said. "You look like you've been crying. Where's Callum?"

"He's... gone." I said.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I can't imagine the pain you must be going through. Are you all right?"

I looked at the ground and held a hand over my heart. A feeling of warmth spread throughout my body.

_I'll always be with you. In your heart and in your memories._

A smile spread across my face and I looked up at Sora.

"Yeah." I said. "I'm gonna be okay."

* * *

><p>We stepped through the portal. The area we were in swirled colors of blue and orange. The Nobody symbol ran along the floor and up the sides.<p>

"What is this place?" Sora said.

"Well, which way should we go?" Donald said.

Sora ran forward a few steps.

"Riku! Kairi!" Sora called. No answer.

Suddenly, Dusks appeared around us. When we defeated those, more appeared.

"It's no use!" Sora said.

"Don't stop moving, or the darkness will overtake you!" a voice said.

Axel jumped in and attacked the Dusks.

"Get goin'!" he cried.

"Why?" Sora said.

"Don't ask. Just do it!"

A Dusk tackled Axel to the ground.

"Axel!" I cried.

We ran at Axel and Sora destroyed the Dusks surrounding him.

"You okay?" Sora said.

Axel crawled up to his hands and knees.

"I kidnapped Kairi, but she got away from me." he said. "After that, Saix caught her. He's a member of Organization XIII. Saix. Got it memorized? Now go save her!"

Two Dusks appeared above us. Sora and I whipped around and slashed at them. We struck our battle stances.

"Leave us alone!" Sora cried.

We fought the Dusks alongside Axel, but no matter how many we fought, more appeared. We were soon surrounded in a sea of Nobodies. We stood in a mini triangle with our backs facing each other.

"I think I liked it better when they were on my side." Axel said.

"Feeling a little... regret?" Sora said, smirking over his shoulder.

"Nah... I can handle these punks. Watch this!"

Axel jumped forward. He radiated with dark fire. He let out a cry as the area exploded with fire in a crazy kamikaze act. There was a bright light. We covered our eyes and when we opened them, we looked around the room in awe.

"Whoa!" Sora said.

The Nobodies were gone and the room was empty. We turned around and saw Axel laying on the ground. Sora and I ran over and crouched down on both sides of him as particles of darkness floated from his body and disappeared into the air.

"Axel..." I said.

"You're... fading away..." Sora said.

"Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack. You know what I mean?" Axel said. He scoffed. "Not that Nobodies actually HAVE beings... right? Anyway, I digress. Go, find Kairi. Oh, almost forgot... Sorry for what I did to her."

"When we find her, you can tell her that yourself." Sora said.

"Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one." Axel chuckled.

"Axel, what were you trying to do?"

"I wanted to see... my friends. They were the only ones... who made my existence worthwhile. They made me feel... like I had a heart. It's kind of... funny... You both make me feel... the same..." Axel looked between me and Sora with a thoughtful smile. A moment later, his cool composure returned. "Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go."

Axel reached his hand out and a portal appeared.

"You kids be good." Axel said. He turned to me, smiled, and slowly reached out to touch my hand. "Take care of them, please. Callum... it was good... to see you again."

I gasped quietly as tears sprang into my eyes. _Callum knew Axel? But how?_ Before I could ask him, Sora and I watched Axel fade away. Sora looked at me with a softened expression.

"Hallie..." he said.

I nodded and wiped my eyes. We stood up and faced the portal Axel conjured up.

"This leads to..." Sora said.

"Their world." I said.

"Aw, come on! Let's get going!" Donald cried.

We nodded and walked through the portal.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang have found the way into Organization XIII's world, but not before Hallie suffers a painful goodbye. Callum tells Hallie that he will not be joining them on their storm to the Organization's castle. Leaving Hallie heartbroken, she begs Callum to stay, telling him about how the last time he left nearly destroyed her. They share a kiss, but Hallie is shocked to find that she felt nothing from it. Believing all this time that Callum was the key that would unlock her heart, like from the gypsy's fortune, she is left distraught. Callum tells her upfront that he is not her key, but she is close to finding him soon. He says goodbye, promising her that he would always be with her. Hallie rejoins the others, and together, they enter the portal. They end up in a strange corridor, where they are ambushed by a swarm of Dusks. Axel from Organization XIII steps in to help them fight, but the battle seems to be heading in a bad direction. In a confident yet desperate attempt, Axel sacrifices himself in one last attack and destroys all the Dusks. As he begins to fade, he tells Sora and Hallie that all he wanted was to see his friends, whoever they may be. He summons a portal to the Organization's world for them. With a final plea to Hallie to watch over his friends for him, Axel fades away. The gang must move on, so together, they enter the portal.**

**What lies beyond that portal? What is in store for Hallie and her friends in the Organization's world? How did Axel know Callum?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	47. But A Mere Shell

**CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN**

The portal opened and we stepped out into a dark alley. Something about it seemed... familiar. Mickey walked to the end of the alley and looked up. We followed him and looked up at the sky. I clenched my fists. We were in a dark city. Above the city, a castle floated in the air. Looming behind the castle was a large yellow moon shaped like a heart.

_Kingdom Hearts. _Their_ Kingdom Hearts._

"Axel said Kairi's in the dungeon." Sora said.

"Then we better find a way to get to that castle!" Mickey said.

We nodded. Mickey ran down the alley and disappeared around the corner.

* * *

><p>As we wove through the city, it began to show a little bit more character. Neon signs hung on the side of building with strange words that I didn't understand. We pause momentarily as it began to rain. We looked up once again at the castle in the sky. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Sora and I walked forward.<p>

"Sora!" Donald cried.

"Hallie!" Goofy cried.

We turned around and saw two Samurai Nobodies standing between us and Donald and Goofy, their swords drawn in front of them.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora cried.

We ran towards them. Suddenly, the air warped around me. I stopped when I heard a laugh pierce the air. I looked around me. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were gone.

"My, my..." A female voice said. A shock of frisson rushed up my spine. "What a predicament."

A portal of darkness opened against one of the buildings. A girl sauntered out of the portal. Her straight, blonde hair was cut short into a bob. Bangs rested on her forehead and swept to the right with some hair falling loosely along the sides of her face. Her blood red eyes glinted with mischief. She wore a black, sleeveless halter top with the straps connected to a black leather choker collar with two chains connecting to a heart with a lock in the middle. Two red belts crisscrossed into an X around her waist. She wore a long sweeper with red interior with feathery detailing around the collar. She wore a black, lacy miniskirt and her legs were covered in black stockings decorated with red Heartless emblems, leaving a section of her midthighs bare. She wore all-black Converse high tops on her feet and a long black glove on her right arm that extended to her bicep and had red feathery detailing around her wrist and at the end. A silver chain rested underneath her choker collar on her decolletage, but there was no charm attached to it, and small red heart clips were inserted in her hair, pinning back some hair on the left side of her head.

As the portal disappeared behind the girl, she looked at me and giggled again.

"So, you finally made it." the girl said, approaching me. "It's about time. I've been waiting for you."

Now I understood why I thought her voice sounded so familiar. It was _my_ voice, but oozing with bitterness and sarcasm. She looked almost _exactly_ like me.

"Who are you?" I said.

"Who? Me?" The girl clicked her tongue in disappointment and shook her head. "Don't you recognize yourself?"

"What are you talking about? What have you done with my friends?!"

The girl giggled again and placed her hands behind her back, exactly the way I did. There was a flash and I suddenly saw myself. I jumped back in surprise. There was another flash and I saw Callum.

"Callum!" I cried.

I ran forward a few steps, then stopped when another flash occurred and the girl reappeared. She giggled again and placed her hands on her hips.

"You've caused us enough trouble, Hallie." the girl said.

"How do you know my name? Who... or _what_... are you?!" I said.

The girl turned around and stared up at the sky. She smiled.

"Isn't it lovely?" the girl said, referring to the Kingdom Hearts moon in the sky.

"That's one way to put it." I scoffed.

"They say that Kingdom Hearts holds magnificent power and wisdom. It was so great that people pit themselves against each other in order to gain control of it." the girl said. She chuckled. "All that bloodshed, death, and destruction... for nothing. You humans are nothing but ravenous monsters, consumed by your own greed."

"And Nobodies and Heartless desire peace and love?" I laughed bitterly. "You make me laugh."

"I have been known for my sense of humor..." the girl said. "But let's see how much longer your laughter lasts when your friends see the savage beast that _you_ truly are."

I growled.

"I don't know what you're talking about... but I'm sick of hearing you ramble!" I cried, summoning Chaos Ripper.

The girl stared at my Keyblade with a hungry look in her eyes. She smiled and shifted her gaze back to me.

"Ah, the Keyblade..." she said. "A mysterious yet powerful weapon capable of unlocking any link, any door, any heart. And you? A chosen Keyblade wielder? Someone please, help me! I'm so afraid!"

The girl pretended to quake in her shoes before letting out another laugh. I growled and gripped Chaos Ripper tighter. The girl's laugh subsided.

"There's just one teensy little problem..." The girl's face suddenly contorted into a sinister look more ominous than Demyx's. Her blood red eyes glowed and a nasty grin morphed onto her face. "That is _my_ Keyblade."

The girl shot out her hand. Chaos Ripper shook violently and lurched forward. I cried out and tried to pull it back. The Keyblade disappeared in a flash of light, and I reached out to it, but it slipped through my fingers. The light traveled over to the girl. As it made its way over to her, it darkened. By the time it reached her hand, it was as black as the sky we stood under. The girl clenched her fist around the light and Chaos Ripper appeared in her hand. It glowed with darkness. As it glowed, it changed shape. The sides received more sharpened curves. Its teeth turned into an axe-like blade. The blue eye-like jewel at the tip glowed. The darkness subsided, revealing End of Pain.

The girl gingerly ran a hand over the Keyblade. She sighed dreamily.

"Finally..." she said. "Doesn't it just stink when something that's yours is wrongfully taken away from you?"

"Who... are... you?" I said.

"Who am I?" the girl giggled and her eyes flashed again. "I am- but a mere shell."

The girl lunged at me, Keyblade pointed for my chest. I let out a cry and I shielded my eyes.

* * *

><p>"You make a good other." Sora mumbled to himself.<p>

Donald and Goofy walked over to Sora.

"Are you okay?" Donald asked.

"What... just happened?" Sora said.

"Gawrsh, I dunno." Goofy said. "You and Hallie just disappeared. Then me and Donald had to fight some Nobodies.

"He said... he defeated Riku..."

"Who said that?" Donald said.

"That guy... in the black coat."

"But nobody could defeat Riku."

"Y...Yeah. You're right." Sora turned around. "Hey, where's Hallie?"

"We dunno." Goofy said. "She disappeared the same time you did, but she hasn't come back yet."

"Did she see that Organization guy, too?" Donald said.

"No, she wasn't with me." Sora said. "Where did she go?"

Donald and Goofy looked at each other and shrugged.

"We need to go look for her." Sora said.

"What about Riku and Kairi?" Goofy said.

"They can wait. We need to find Hallie."

Donald and Goofy glanced at each other again.

* * *

><p><em>Long ago, there was a great and catastrophic event that took place called the Keyblade War. Thousands of Keyblade wielders clashed against one another for the power of the ultimate weapon, the χ-blade. The result of the war was brutal and devastating; darkness spread across the worlds and the lives of millions perished by their own unquenchable thirst for power. The χ-blade was shattered into twenty pieces: seven of light, thirteen of darkness. The χ-blade was the only weapon capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts... The heart of all worlds. A great source of power and wisdom. The heart of anything and everything that has ever existed...<em>

_And I, my dear Hallie, shall one day seize that power._

I gasped and opened my eyes. I squinted as light flooded into my eyes. I blinked to adjust to the sudden change of scenery. I sat up and looked around. I was in a white, circular room. The floor and walls had strange heart patterns strewn across it and chains connected to them. In the center of the room was a white throne. I slowly walked towards it and around it. As I peeked over the corner, I jumped back in surprise.

Someone sat in the throne. I caught a glimpse of spiky blonde hair. I gasped and circled around the throne.

"It's... you..." I whispered.

Sitting on the throne was a boy, _the_ boy, from Twilight Town. His head bobbed rhythmically. I crouched down and looked up at him. His eyes were closed, but the image of those deep blue orbs penetrated my mind. He was sleeping.

"Who are you?" I said.

The boy's lips curved upward into a small smile. I gasped.

"You heard me?" I said.

No answer. His face fell blank again.

"I saw you from before, back in Twilight Town. I know you... somehow. Please, tell me why!" I said. I gripped the boy's shoulder and shook him, but there was no response. I sighed in defeat. "I wish you would wake up and tell me how I'm supposed to get out of here."

I reached down to my belt and unclipped the doll that hung around it. I held it in my hands and gazed at it.

"My friends... they must be worried sick about me." I said. I hugged the doll to my chest and closed my eyes. "Sora..."

When I opened my eyes. I saw something move in my peripheral vision. I looked and gasped. The boy was still asleep, but his hand slowly rose from his lap. A Keyblade, Wayward Wind, appeared in his hand. Light collected at the tip of the Keyblade and shot past me to the wall. A door appeared and it opened, flooding the area with light.

"For me?" I said.

The boy's head continued to bob, but I saw the faintest hint of a nod.

"Thank you, whoever you are." I said. "Maybe I'll see you again someday, after you wake up."

The boy smiled again, and my heart fluttered.

"Huh?" I mumbled. I shook my head, driving the strange sensation away. "See you later."

I stood up and subconsciously reached out and stroked the boy's hair. Laughter filled my ears and I gasped. It sounded like Sora, but it was deeper and more bitter, yet it still managed to send chills up my spine. I pulled my hand away and turned to the door.

_See..._

_you..._

_later..._

I stopped and turned to the boy. Still sleeping. But was that from him? Did his heart speak to mine?

I turned back to the door, the light beckoning to me like an old friend. I stepped through the door. Something clicked in my mind.

"Ven...tus..." My eyes widened and I whirled around. "Ventus!"

The corners of his mouth curled into a small smile as he slept. The rate of my heartbeat increased tenfold as my feet urged me forward with an utmost desire. The portal closed before I could, and I was bathed in light.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Hallie and the gang have finally found and infiltrated the Organization's world. As they set off towards their castle, they are intercepted by some unusual visitors. Hallie is swept away from her friends into an illusion, where she meets the mysterious girl who was first seen with Vanitas at Hollow Bastion after the gang saved it from the Organization and the Heartless. Contention arises as the mysterious girl taunts Hallie, obviously expressing that she knows things about Hallie that she has yet to remember. Hallie turns her Keyblade on her to quiet her, when a shocking fact is revealed to her; her Keyblade, Chaos Ripper, which she has wielded and fought with ever since the beginning of her journey and possibly long before, is not hers! It actually belongs to the mysterious girl, who rightfully claims it once again, leaving Hallie weaponless and flabbergasted. The mysterious girl attacks Hallie, but she is whisked away to a strange room. In that room lies the boy she saw at Twilight Town's Station Plaza when she visited the world for the first time. The boy sleeps, but he seems to be responding slightly to Hallie. As Hallie calls out to Sora, the sleeping boy summons a portal with his Keyblade. Hallie steps into the portal as the name of the young boy flashes in her mind: Ventus.  
><strong>

**How was Hallie able to find her way into the Chamber of Waking?**

**~SPOILER ALERT~ If you recall a certain chapter, there is a scene that hugely connects to this, and a special item's significance is revealed.**


	48. Promise Me

**CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT**

Sora, Donald, and Goofy regrouped with King Mickey.

"There you guys are!" Mickey said. He looked at the three. "Where's Hallie?"

"We don't know." Sora said. "She just disappeared. We need to find her."

"But Sora, where could she be?" Goofy said.

"I don't know, and I don't care!"

Donald and Goofy looked at Sora in surprise.

"Sorry... but as much as I want to find Kairi and Riku, Hallie's our friend, too."

"Right." Mickey said. "I have a feeling she's in there."

Mickey pointed at the giant gray castle floating in the sky.

"In there?" Donald said.

"What makes you say that?" Goofy said.

"I don't know... just this feeling I had. Like a friend showed me the way." Mickey said. His face hardened. "But we need to hurry. Hallie's in danger."

The three boys nodded and they made their way to the castle. They stood at the edge of a cliff and looked up at the looming building. Suddenly, they saw two bright flashes of light, the first from the bottom left side of the castle, and the second from the bottom right side of the castle. Sora shielded his eyes momentarily and looked to the castle. His Keyblade, Kingdom Key, appeared in front of him. He grabbed it and pointed it at the castle. Light collected at the tip and it shot forward to the entrance. A light blue bridge appeared. Sora focused his eyes on the bottom right side of the castle, where he saw the second flash of light.

"Hang in there, Hallie." Sora said to himself. "We're on our way."

* * *

><p>I stepped out of the portal of light and fell straight to my knees. I turned around and watched it slowly close.<p>

_I know you... but how?_ My eyes filled with tears and I blinked them away with confusion. _Ventus..._

After a few tries, I finally succeeded in shaking him away from my thoughts. I stood and took in my surroundings. I was in a large castle with patterns of gray and Nobody symbols strewn across the walls, floors, and ceilings. I looked out and saw the Dark City hanging below me.

_The Organization's stronghold. I... know this place. I came here before... This was the place that Callum rescued me from. But what was Callum doing here?_

I sighed and grazed my fingers against my doll.

_Sora, Donald, Goofy... where are you?_

A warm feeling spread through my body.

_"Call him again..."_ a voice said. _"He's listening..."_

I looked around. I recognized that voice; it was the gypsy, the woman who helped set my path while in the abyss of darkness so long ago.

_"Gypsy? Or lost remnants of your memories?"_ the gypsy said. _"Call him again..."_

I nodded. I brought my hands to my heart and closed my eyes.

_Sora..._

Silence.

_Hallie!_

I gasped and looked around frantically.

"Sora?" I said out loud.

_I can hear you! Where are you?_

I was shocked. How is he able to hear me?

_I'm in the Organization's castle. But..._

Samurais appeared around me. I gulped and took a step back.

_I can't fight without my Keyblade..._

A Samurai drew its sword and lunged at me.

"HELP!" I screamed and shielded my face with my arms.

There was a flash of light, and when I opened my eyes, I gasped when I saw the Samurai that lunged towards me was frozen in place. Its sword was pointed towards me, only a few inches from my chest. In fact, all the Nobodies were frozen, as if time had stopped.

There was a soft glimmer in my peripheral vision. I looked and saw a small ball of light zoom towards me. It zipped through the Samurai in front of me, destroying it. The ball of light came back around and floated in front of me. The light moved towards me and rested on my left arm. I felt something weigh down on my shoulder. The light disappeared and placed around my upper bicep was a white pauldron lined with black and light blue. In the center of the armor piece was a blue orb.

_"Press it. It will give you power."_ a male voice echoed in my head. I knew that voice.

"Terra?" I called.

_"Press it."_ he repeated.

I clenched my fist and pounded it against the orb. There was a flash of light. The light faded. Nothing seemed different, although my vision seemed slightly tinted, as if I wore sunglasses. I looked down and cried out in surprise.

Armor covered my body. The entirety of it was white with two layers of lining, the inside light blue and the outside black. Certain areas of my armor were colored with light blue: the front of my torso, the wrist guards, the top of my helmet, my knees, and my armored boots were some of the few, with black lining around the blue.

"What in the world...?" I said, examining my hands and arms.

_"Keyblade Armor."_ Terra said.

"Sure, it's snazzy and all, but I can't really do anything without the KEYBLADE part." I said.

_"For now, you must rely on your wisdom and skills."_

I nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Terra."

It was silent for a moment.

_"...One day I will set this right."_

"Huh?"

The area warped and time continued. The Samurais charged towards me. My muscles tensed and I rolled out of the way. I landed and looked up at the Nobodies.

"Wisdom and skills..." I said.

I looked down at my hand and clenched it. It sparked and ignited into flames. I looked back up and lunged forward. I punched my fist into a Samurai. I hit it square in the chest and it flew back, crashed into the wall, and disappeared. A Samurai unsheathed its sword and slashed at me. I casually dodged it like the way Tifa once dodged Sephiroth's attacks. I jumped in the air and roundhouse kicked the Samurai in the head. It lurched to the side and its sword spiraled into the air. I jumped up, grabbed the sword, and struck my battle stance.

"Thundaga!" I cried, raising the sword up.

Intense bolts of lightning crashed down from the air, electrocuting and dazing the Nobodies. As they stumbled around, I charged, killing them with their own weapon. As the last Nobody vanished, I doubled over and panted to recover my breath. I let go of the Samurai's sword and it disappeared before it hit the ground.

Behind me, I heard the sound of a sword unsheathing, but in this case, it sounded more like a Keyblade.

I turned around and I saw Sora staring at me. His Keyblade was drawn and he struck his battle stance.

"Who are you?!" he said.

"Sora." I said.

I took a step closer to him, but Sora pointed his Keyblade at me.

"Sora, it's me, Hallie!" I said. I reached up and took off my helmet, slightly shaking my head to fan out my hair.

Sora looked at me with wide eyes. He dispelled his Keyblade and approached me.

"Hallie." he said. His ocean blue eyes glanced over me, examining my armor. "What happened to you?"

"I don't know, but it saved me." I said, looking down at my hands. I looked up at Sora. "How did you find me?"

"It was the weirdest thing." Sora said, scratching the back of his head. "I came looking for you. When I entered this castle, I heard your voice in my head. I started running around like I was on autopilot, and then I came here... and here you are."

"You... came looking for me?" I said.

Sora nodded. "Now, let's go. Everyone's waiting for us."

I took a step back and looked away.

"What's wrong?" Sora said.

"I'm no good anymore. When you guys disappeared, I met this girl. She looked... exactly like me." I said. "She took my Keyblade. Well I thought it was my Keyblade. Turns out it never was."

"Hallie..."

I sighed and fell backwards onto my butt. As I fell, there was a flash of light. The armor disappeared and I was back in my normal clothes. I brought my legs to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

"What good am I to you?" I said, burying my face into my knees. "It would be better if you just left. Go save the worlds. Go defeat Xemnas and the Organization. Go back to your home."

It was silent. It grew so quiet, I thought Sora left. But then I heard his footsteps move towards me and he sat next to me. He reached out, wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me into him.

"Not without you." Sora said.

His words filled my heart with tender relief. I laid my face against his chest. As I rested there, a song echoed in my mind. I heard the hum of a woman's voice caress my mind. I found myself humming along.

"What's that?" Sora asked.

I blushed from embarrassment. "I don't know. Just this song that came into my head." I said.

"Will you sing it for me?"

I stood up and walked a few paces away from him. I closed my eyes, laid my hands over my heart, and took a breath as words flowed into my mind.

_Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside_

_Hiding all the hope, mocking what we treasure_

_Battles we can win, if we believe our souls_

_Hang in for the light till dawn_

_Fate will not leave you,_

_hate will not heal you_

_Pray and, one day, peace shall flow everywhere_

I could hear the sweet hum of another woman singing with me. I heard the sound of violins and basses in my head continue for a few more measures, playing and mixing together chords so hauntingly beautiful, they made my heart swell. I took another breath as more lyrics filled my mind.

_Make my wish come true, let darkness fade to light_

_Show me there's still hope, show me it's not over_

_Battles we can win, our struggle lies within_

_Will we live to greet the dawn?_

_Love will not leave you,_

_hate will not heal you_

_Promise me one day that peace shall reign._

The violins played their last notes of melodious beauty. When all was quiet in my mind, I turned around and looked at Sora. He watched me thoughtfully, looking as enchanted and enraptured by the song as I was. He stood up and smiled at me. He reached out his hand to me. I gazed up at him and I felt breathless as I took it. He ran his thumb along the back of my hand.

"I promise." Sora whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**Sora, Donald, and Goofy meet King Mickey again and go to look for Hallie. The path to her leads to the Organization's Castle. Hallie returns from the Chamber of Waking and finds herself inside the castle. She is ambushed by a group of Nobodies, but she is rescued by Terra, the owner of the Lingering Will that she fought at Disney Castle. He bestows Hallie with Keyblade Armor, which she uses to defend herself while she lacks a Keyblade. After defeating the Nobodies, Sora and Hallie reunite.**

**Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	49. A Conclusion of Something

**CHAPTER FORTY NINE**

We reunited with Donald and Goofy and made our way through The Castle That Never Was. Sorcerer Nobodies of which I've never witnessed before attacked us periodically. We navigated through Nothing's Call, ascended through Crooked Ascension, and climbed up Twilight's View. We stepped into the Hall of Empty Melodies.

"Sora, Hallie... You've done well." a voice said.

We looked up and saw Saix standing on a ledge.

"Where's Kairi?" Sora called.

"Who knows? I expect she's catching up with her friend from the darkness."

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't need you anymore."

"I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Well, you don't have to... But you can believe this. Organization has no further use for you two... Just look there."

Saix pointed to the yellow Kingdom Hearts moon in the sky.

"Our Kingdom Hearts..." Saix said. "Thanks to you, we've collected countless hearts... Can you hear their euphoria? Now, all they need is one more helping from the Keyblade bearers!"

Saix snapped his fingers. Countless pools of darkness appeared in the walls and Shadows poured out. Shadows and Armored Knights appeared around us.

"We gotta fight!" Donald said.

"But- Kingdom Hearts!" Sora said.

"Sora!" A voice called.

We looked up to see a girl with auburn red hair and blue eyes leaning over a balcony.

"Sora! It's really you!" the girl called.

Sora jumped up straight, a wide smile growing on his face. "Kairi!" Sora cried.

Shadow Heartless piled over Sora, knocking him to the ground.

"Sora!" I called.

"You leave Sora alone!" Kairi cried.

She disappeared from the balcony edge, but then reappeared seconds later as she jumped from the ledge and landed on the floor below. Shadow Heartless appeared around her.

"Kairi!" I cried. My breath caught in my throat as I experienced a strange sense of déjà vu.

I slammed my clenched fist into the orb on my arm. There was a flash of light and I donned my Keyblade Armor. I took a running start and jumped into the air at an unbelievably high distance. I landed on the ground in front of Kairi. I clenched my fists and they ignited with flames. I grunted and pounded my fists into the ground. Columns of fire erupted from the ground around us, disintegrating the Shadows into piles of dark dust. I stood up and looked at Kairi, who stared at me with wonder. There was another flash of light and I was back in my old clothes.

"You okay?" I said.

"Yeah..." Kairi nodded. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hallie."

I held my hand out to her. She reached out and took mine. As soon as our hands connected, an intense flash of pain struck my brain. I yanked my hand back and clutched the sides of my head. I looked up and my eyes widened. Kairi was in pain, too. That's a first. She shook her head and looked up at me.

"Sorry." I said.

"No, it's fine." Kairi said. "That was... strange."

"You have no idea."

A man with long silver hair, amber eyes, and dark skin stepped next to Kairi.

_Ansem. The bad one._ I took a step back.

He handed her a Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace. Kairi took it and examined it.

"Right. This time... I'LL fight." Kairi said, striking a battle stance very much similar to mine. "You know Sora's completely hopeless without us! Come on, Riku!"

I gasped and looked at the man. Kairi took off, swinging her Keyblade aimlessly and destroying Shadows.

"Riku?" I said.

He set his eyes on me. Riku summoned his Keyblade, A Way To Dawn, and nodded to me.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Hallie." Riku said, his voice deeper than I assumed a teenage boy's would sound like. It must've come with the appearance.

"Huh?"

Riku took off past me and attacked the Heartless. I sighed and lifted my eyes to the platform where Saix stood. He looked at me with a devilish grin as he disappeared into darkness. I scowled and looked to the ground floor, remembering the numerous Heartless that tackled Sora to the ground.

"Sora!" I called.

I jumped down from the edge and ran to him.

"Get off!" Sora cried, shaking off the Shadows.

"Are you okay?" I said, kneeling beside him.

"Yeah." Sora stood up and looked up at the level above us. He saw Riku and Kairi fighting against the Shadows. "What's going on?!"

I heard something similar to a Sniper Nobody's rifle. We turned around and saw a red magic arrow piercing the ground. We looked up and gasped as magical red arrows rained down from the platform above us. They landed on the ground, killing the Heartless surrounding us.

"Have you been good, kiddies?" a voice said.

"Show yourself!" Sora called.

A portal of darkness opened up and out stepped Xigbar.

"You..." I hissed. I remembered what Naminé told me and I stepped back on my left foot.

"Oh, it sounds like you haven't." Xigbar said. "Sora! Roxas!"

"Roxas?" Sora said. He turned to Donald. "Hey, did he just call me Roxas?"

Donald nodded.

"You've really put Organization XIII in a pickle. I guess that must be why the Keyblade chose you two. But MAN, did they pick duds this time." Xigbar said. "You don't look like you're half the hero the others were-"

Xigbar's gaze zeroed in on the pauldron on my arm. He gasped and growled.

"You little witch." Xigbar said. "No matter how hard he tries to bury you in darkness, you and your stupid little friends just won't give up!"

"Are you done rambling?" Sora said.

"Rambling? As if! All I'm trying to tell you, traitors, is that your time is up!"

Xigbar shot his hands out and two sniper crossbows appeared in his hands.

"Here he comes!" Goofy cried.

Xigbar jumped down from the ledge and landed on the ground in front of us. He straightened and stared at us with a sinister grin. His gaze went over to me.

"I don't care what Mr. Bossman says." Xigbar said. "I'm taking you out right now."

I gasped as Xigbar pointed his crossbows at me. At the last second, he pointed them up and shot magical arrows into the air. The arrows broke, and a Sniper appeared from the mist they created. It clutched its sniper and swung it at me with all its strength. I attempted to shield myself with Reflega, but the gun broke through. It sent me flying back against the edge. I lost my footing and I shot my hands up. I grabbed onto the ledge, wincing as pain burst from my shoulders, nearly yanked out of their sockets.

"Help!" I cried. "Somebody, please, help me! HELP!"

I heard footsteps hurrying to me.

"Hallie!" It was Sora's voice.

"Sora!" I cried as I stared down at the deadly black pit below me.

My hands began to slip. My breathing picked up, and I tried my best to calm down the urge to scream my head off.

"Just hold on!" Sora said.

"I... can't...!" I said.

My hands slipped. I saw a hand reach out to me and just barely miss my fingers as I plummeted into darkness.

* * *

><p>~TPPOV~<p>

"Hallie!" Sora shrieked as Hallie disappeared into the thick layer of darkness below. He took a couple steps back, taking a running start before diving off the platform.

"Sora!" Donald cried.

"Hallie!" Goofy said.

Xigbar smirked. "Pathetic. And here I thought I was actually going to have a fight."

Xigbar turned around when something shot out and hit him in the back of the head. He lurched forward onto his knee and grasped his head. He whirled around, fury glowing in his yellow eye. Donald and Goofy turned around and their jaws dropped.

Shooting out of the darkness, Sora soared into the air. His clothes were now all white with outlines of black. In his arms was Hallie, who had her eyes shut and clung desperately to Sora. She slowly opened her eyes and cried out when she realized that she wasn't falling down, but up. Hallie looked up at Sora, gazing up at him with awe as he focused on something in front of him. He landed on the ground and set her down.

"Stay here." Sora said.

Hallie nodded with obvious certainty. Sora summoned his Keyblade and two more appeared behind him: Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Xigbar, steaming mad now, summoned his sniper crossbows again, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy charged. Xigbar appeared in various spots on the platform and shot arrows at Sora, but he dodged them all and attacked when Xigbar had to reload.

Xigbar collapsed to the ground, leaning over on one knee. One crossbow fell out of his hand and landed on the ground with a loud, clanging thud.

"Why did you call me Roxas?" Sora said, gripping his Keyblade. He had reverted back to his original form. "What do you have against Hallie?! I demand some answers!"

Xigbar laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said.

Hallie stood up and ran over beside Sora. Xigbar glared at the girl and smiled.

"Catch'ya later, Hallie." Xigbar said. "Tell your boyfriend I said hi."

Hallie mustered up a furious scowl. As Xigbar faded into darkness, the evil smile on his face imprinted into her mind like a burning cow brand.

A sickening feeling settled in Hallie's stomach. This would not be the last time she faces that man.

* * *

><p>"Uh-oh, they need our help." Mickey said, peering over the balcony railing.<p>

Ansem the Wise, a tall, older man with platinum blonde, shoulder-length hair and amber eyes, shook his head. "Sora and Riku are together. We have no part to play here."

Ansem the Wise turned around.

"Most importantly, Hallie is coming to realization with her true nature." Ansem the Wise said. "Her memories continue to fight against the darkness that traps them while her heart continues to fight for something else. I believe she has finally found her key."

Mickey gave Ansem the Wise a confused look. Ansem the Wise walked away with Mickey following closely behind.

* * *

><p>~HALLIE~<p>

We ran up to the level above us as Kairi and Riku finished off the last of the Heartless.

"Kairi, you were great!" Donald cried.

"Oh?" Kairi said. She turned around, giggled, then brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

Sora and Kairi approached each other.

"You are different, Kairi, but I'm just glad you're here!" Sora said.

"You and Riku never came home, so I came looking for you." Kairi said.

Sora shamefully avoided her eyes.

"I'm sorry-"

Kairi closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around Sora. Sora recoiled in surprise. The air grew silent.

"This is real..." Kairi said.

Sora slowly hugged Kairi back. Donald and Goofy looked to one another, sharing the same troubled look.

"What's wrong...?" I said.

I looked over at Sora, and I could sense it. The relief was so thick, I could almost touch it. Disbelief raced across his face, but they melted away into acknowledgement. There was something very strange about his smile.

_There's nothing romantic written on his face. Here he is, holding the girl of his dreams, but the relief on his face is from a conclusion of something, and the sparkle in his eyes isn't because of Kairi. The feelings in Sora's heart were clear, but then something had entered and it overtook the original. Sora was in love with Kairi, but he's been battling against something. It was unsure before, but in this moment, he's come to the complete conclusion that he's not in love with Kairi anymore... and he's relieved by that. But... what happened?_

A portal of darkness appeared behind Riku. He turned around and walked a few paces toward it. Sora pulled away abruptly and turned around, keeping hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Wait, Ansem!" Sora called. "I mean, Xehanort's Heartless."

The realization hit me; Sora doesn't know he's talking to his best friend.

"I never thought for a second that I'd ever see YOU again. Just thinking about all the things you did makes me really mad." Sora said. "But... But you saved Kairi, right? I have to be grateful for that... Thanks."

Riku started to walk away. Kairi ran after him and grabbed his hand.

"Riku, don't go!" Kairi cried.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried out.

"Kairi, what did you just say?!" Sora cried.

"Riku." Kairi said.

"I'm no one- just a castaway from the darkness." Riku said.

"Sora, come here. Say something to him."

Sora looked forward with confusion. He turned back and looked at us. I nodded and made a shooing gesture with my hands. Sora walked to Riku and Kairi. Kairi grabbed Sora's hand.

"Here. You'll understand." she said. She laid their hands together. "Close your eyes."

Sora looked at Riku for a moment and closed his eyes. For a few seconds, it was quiet. Sora opened his eyes.

"Riku..." Sora said, grasping his hand. "It's Riku. Riku's here..."

Sora fell down to his knees and wept.

"I looked for you..." Sora said.

"C'mon, Sora. You've got to pull it together." Riku said. His voice had changed to what I assumed was back to normal.

"I looked everywhere for you!" Tears streamed down Sora's face.

"I didn't want you to find me."

"But it was him that was helpin' us, wasn't it?" Goofy whispered. "Those clues we kept finding. That musta been Riku."

My fingers brushed against my front pocket, where Roxas's photo rested. Sora let go of Riku and stood up.

"I was starting to worry you guys weren't ever gonna catch on." Riku said. "Sora never did pick the brightest friends."

"What do you mean by that?!" Donald squawked.

I placed my hands behind my back and giggled.

"Why didn't you let me know you were okay?" Sora said.

"I told you. I didn't want to be found." Riku said. He lifted his hand up to his face. "Not like this... I couldn't. I fought with Ansem. With... Xehanort's Heartless- when it invaded my heart, and I won. But to use the power of darkness, I had to become Ansem myself."

"Does that mean... you can't change back?" Kairi said.

"This battle isn't over. And until it is, I still need the power of darkness."

"Then... let's finish it." Sora said. "You're still Riku, no matter what!"

Donald, Goofy, and I approached the three. Everyone nodded in agreement. Sora turned towards us.

"So how 'bout it: Think we can handle one last rumble together?" Sora said. "The King's waiting!"

"Yeah! Let's get going!" Donald said.

I looked down at the ground. Sora walked over to me.

"It doesn't matter if you can't use the Keyblade." he said. "We still need you."

Sora reached out and placed a hand on my arm. I looked up at him, and we shared a smile.

"Right." I said. "We'll finish this. Together."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<br>**

**Hallie finally meets Sora's best friends, Kairi and Riku. However, Riku has taken on the appearance of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, Xehanort's Heartless- a result of accepting darkness back into his heart. As Hallie and the gang fight against the Heartless army and make their way up to them, they are stopped by Xigbar. At the beginning of the battle, Xigbar knocks Hallie off the edge of the platform, and she plummets into the darkness. Sora goes after her, a few moments later emerging in his Final Form, with Hallie in his arms. Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat Xigbar, but not before taunting Hallie for what she knows is not the last time, for a foreboding feeling tells her she will see that man again. Hallie and the gang head to the upper level, and Sora reunites with Kairi and Riku, vaguely learning about what happened to Riku since they separated over a year ago. Hallie notices that Sora's reunion with Kairi does not go as assumed, leading her to believe that Sora might not be in love with Kairi anymore.  
><strong>

**Why was Kairi able to experience the flash of pain with Hallie? What was the meaning behind Xigbar's words, and who did he refer to as he faded away into darkness? Is Hallie's feeling of dread correct, and will she meet Xigbar... or someone else... again in her future?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	50. The Truth About Callum

**CHAPTER FIFTY**

We entered a room filled with many panels. There were thirteen total. Four of them glowed blue- two with tombstone-like walls with the Nobody symbol, and two lacking them- but the rest were red and damaged. Each panel had a picture of a weapon, a rank, and a title. One of the panels was so damaged, nothing was legibly displayed. I stepped up to the thirteenth panel.

"Number 13, the Key of Destiny"

I crouched down and touched the symbol on the panel: two Keyblades crossed together in an X.

_Roxas..._

"Hallie. This way." Sora said.

I looked to everyone. They stood at one of the panels that glowed blue. I stood up and nodded. I paused and I turned my head to look at another panel that glowed blue next to Roxas's. It had a dark blue heart symbol with a crown hovering above it and a keyhole in the center.

_Whose is that?_ My mind sifted through all the Organization members, but none of them were close to resembling this symbol.

"Hallie, come on!" Kairi called. I finally tore my gaze away and stepped onto the panel with my friends.

* * *

><p>As we stood on the platform, we looked up into the sky. A green beam shot through the sky and connected with Kingdom Hearts.<p>

"What's that?" Sora said.

"It's the King and DiZ- I mean, Ansem the Wise." Riku said. "They must be higher up. We better hurry."

As Sora and I walked a few paces, a portal of darkness appeared between us and the others. Luxord stepped out.

"Luxord!" I said.

Luxord raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A wall of large cards appeared and circled around the others. Luxord snapped his finger again. As the walls moved away, we saw that the others disappeared.

"What did you-?!" Sora cried.

"I'd rather we just skip the formalities." Luxord smirked.

Sora summoned his Keyblade and I transformed into my Keyblade Armor. Luxord snapped his fingers and we both suddenly turned into dice. As we struggled about, we managed to maneuver ourselves around and attack Luxord in our dice form. After a while, we turned back to normal. Sora charged, but Luxord changed into a card. More appeared alongside him and they spread out across the platform. I jumped to each card until I got to Luxord. I cast Blizzaga on the card and he changed back to normal. Luxord raised his hands and a giant wall of cards appeared around us. As soon as we got four O's, we held up our cards and threw them at Luxord. They sliced through him.

Sora charged towards Luxord. Luxord held up his arms as a wall of cards swirled around him. Sora lunged and slashed. The wall sliced in half and disappeared into darkness. Luxord groaned and fell to one knee.

"How could you... Roxas..." Luxord said.

Sora turned around. "That's SORA!"

Luxord faded away. Another wall of cards swirled behind us, and our friends reappeared.

"You guys okay?" Kairi said.

"Yeah! No worries." Sora said.

"The guy was good, but we had a few tricks up our sleeves." I said. Sora and I laughed at my pun while everyone shared a confused look.

* * *

><p>We entered into the Proof of Existence again. Luxord's panel turned red. We looked to the final panel that still stood tall and complete. "The Luna Diviner", it read.<p>

"Only one more to go." Sora said.

"Saix." I said, clenching my fists.

* * *

><p>As we entered the room, we saw Saix looking out the window and up at Kingdom Hearts. The green ray from Ansem the Wise pulsed continuously. Saix turned around and smirked. He held his berserker axe in his hand.<p>

"Only you could have made it this far in one piece... Roxas." Saix said.

"That's really getting old!" Sora cried, stomping his foot on the ground.

Donald and Goofy stood in front of Sora with their arms stretched out to the side.

"Yeah! He's Sora!" Donald cried.

Saix turned his glare to me.

"And you..." Saix chuckled. "Your heart is relentless."

I said nothing, only shooting a glare at him. Saix held out his berserker axe. More spikes appeared on the tip, making it more deadly.

"Nevertheless... you will share their fates." Saix said.

He swung his axe and a giant gust swept towards us. Sora and I stood our ground. Donald and Goofy tumbled backwards. As the wind came towards Kairi, Riku stood in front of her and protected her as they were thrown back. A barrier appeared before them, blocking their path. I slammed my fist against my pauldron's orb and transformed into my Keyblade Armor. Sora summoned his Keyblade. Saix lifted up into the sky and entered an extreme berserk mode. As he swung in a blinding rage, columns of blue and black fire erupted. I rolled out of the way to avoid the flames. Sora transformed into his Master Form and we attacked Saix with a barrage of magic spells.

"Hallie!" Sora called.

I looked over as he threw OathKeeper to me like a frisbee. As I reached out and grabbed it, another intense flash of pain struck the back of my head. I ignored it and charged towards Saix. I lunged and slashed.

I jumped back beside Sora as he reverted back to his original form. Saix slowly backed away. His axe fell out of his hand and landed on the ground with a thud. He turned around and limped to the window as he clutched his side. He looked up at the moon.

"Why... Kingdom Hearts...?" Saix said. He reached up towards the moon. "Where... is _my_ heart?"

"In the darkness... where you belong." I said.

Saix faded away. Sora looked at the ground. Our friends walked over to us.

"I don't get it. Why's everybody been calling me Roxas?" Sora said.

"Because, Sora." Riku said. "Roxas is your Nobody."

"My... Nobody?!" Sora said. "But that's _crazy_! I never turned into a Heart... Oh, right..."

"It was when you came to rescue me, remember?" Kairi said.

"Xemnas was the one who found Roxas. He could use the Keyblade because he was your Nobody." Riku said. He crossed his arms. "That's why he brought him into the Organization- but Roxas betrayed them. After that I fought him because I thought it would help you wake up. I lost, but the next time we met I made sure I was the stronger one. Maybe I didn't need to fight him after all. I think he left the Organization because... he really wanted to meet you."

"Roxas... I wish I could meet him, too." Sora said.

Riku walked over to Sora and pointed at his chest. Sora laid a hand over his heart. I looked to the ground.

_Wait a second... Roxas? Callum?_

_When the time comes, you will find out._

_I'm just a... a nobody..._

_A nobody..._

_Nobody..._

I gasped as my heart dropped to my feet.

"Hallie?" Sora said.

"Callum..." I said. I looked up and glared at Riku. "Callum is my Nobody, isn't he?"

Riku shamefully avoided my eyes.

"ISN'T HE?!" I screamed. I lunged forward, but Sora and Goofy grabbed my arms and pulled me back. "_Answer me!_"

Riku slowly met my gaze.

"Yes." he said.

I gasped as tears swelled in my eyes. I broke away from Sora and Goofy with a grunt. I turned around and squeezed my eyes shut.

"But how...? How did this happen? I would've had to been turned into a Heartless." I said, shaking my head as I spoke. "_When_ did this happen?"

"I don't know." Riku said. "But he and Roxas were similar in many ways; they both could wield the Keyblade and the Organization wanted to use them for their own evil purposes. Their similarities led to a strong friendship. Ansem told me Callum was a special Nobody, maybe more special than Roxas, and he asked me to watch him closely."

I reached up and clutched the charm around my neck. "Callum... why didn't you tell me?"

"He had good reasons. The Organization wanted to use Callum. He knew if they couldn't get to him, they would try and come after you. You don't understand the suffering they caused him. Callum risked, _lost_, everything for you."

A tear slid down my cheek, but I made no effort to wipe it away. My heart ached, as if someone tied a cinder block to it. Was this my pain or Callum's? The pain from finally learning the truth about Callum, or a mere morsel of Callum's pain, and he's trying to help me to understand? Either way, it filled me with burning hatred towards the Organization. This was all their fault. Because of their sickening greed, they ruined the lives of all the innocent who fell victim to their plan: to Callum... Roxas... and... and...

I blinked a few times. A blurry image of a girl's face entered my thoughts. My mind attempted to form the name, feeling as if it was on the very tip of my tongue. _Xi-_

Riku sighed in defeat. "Let's get going." he said.

The others followed him. Sora placed a hand on my shoulder. I shook his hand away and walked past him down the path.

* * *

><p>We stepped out of Saix's panel, and it turned red, leaving the last two panels as the only ones still glowing blue: Roxas's and, what I just realized now, Callum's. The door at the end of the room was open. We ran up the stairs and into Naught's Approach. We saw Mickey and Ansem the Wise standing together and talking. Ansem the Wise held a machine that was malfunctioning violently.<p>

"Your Majesty!" Sora called.

Ansem the Wise turned and looked at us.

"Sora, Hallie, the rest is up to you." He said. "Roxas... Callum... I doubt you can hear me but... I am sorry."

I brought a clenched fist to my heart. "Ansem!" Mickey cried.

"My heart is telling what I must do. Please allow me to do what it says!" Ansem the Wise said.

"No!" Riku knelt next to Mickey and grabbed his arm. "Riku!"

"His heart's decided. We can't change that." Riku said.

A portal of darkness appeared before us.

"I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts. And look- here you all are. How convenient for me." Xemnas said. He turned to Ansem the Wise. "Ansem the Wise... You look pathetic."

"Have your laugh." Ansem the Wise said. "I deserve as much for failing to see you for the fool you are."

"Students do take after their teachers. Only a fool would be your apprentice. After all, none of this would have happened without you. YOU are the source of all Heartless... It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared."

The pauldron on my arm seemed to grow hot. My stomach churned with anger.

"I admit... my disregard brought chaos to more worlds than one." Ansem the Wise said. "But what were YOU seeking? You erased me from the world, only to take my name and continue research better left forgotten... Is this the answer you've been looking for?"

"All that and more. I'm carrying on what you yourself began, and I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time." Xemnas said. "I thought you'd praise me, but all you ever do is hold me back. I understand, though. Unlike me, you have a heart. And you're powerless to control it. Consumed, by the jealousy you feel toward the student who surpassed you."

There was a pause.

"Xehanort..." Ansem the Wise said. "Foolish apprentice of a foolish man."

I gasped as a excruciating bolt of pain wedged into my head. I stumbled back and caught my balance on the balcony railing. Xemnas noticed and smirked.

"You have surpassed nothing- only proved how little we both know. We may profess to know the heart, but its essence is beyond our reach. We're both ignorant- as oblivious as when we began. I'm afraid that any world you try to create... Any world of yours... would be an empire of ignorance. That is why you and your creation are destined to fall!" Ansem the Wise said. His machine's sputtered showers of sparks and whirred ominously. "We've said enough! Riku, you know what to do! King Mickey, my friend, forgive me! Farewell!"

There was a bright light. Everything turned into slow motion. Sora and I ran towards Ansem the Wise, but Riku blocked our way. Goofy held Donald by the tail and Kairi grabbed onto Mickey's arm as they attempted to hold them back as well. The machine exploded, sending up a twister of energy and light. The force pushed us back into the ground, filling the area with light.

* * *

><p>The light subsided and we all regain consciousness.<p>

"Riku!" I heard Sora cry.

I looked up and we all gasped. Riku looked different. His hair was still long and silver, but it was in spiked layers with some falling in his face. His skin was paler. He wore a black piece of fabric over his eyes. We all stood up.

"Riku!" Kairi said.

Riku looked around, confused.

"Ansem did say "anything could happen"..." Mickey said.

We looked to where Ansem once was, but he, the machine, and Xemnas were gone.

"Riku, you gonna take that off?" Sora said, referring to the blindfold.

"Oh..." Riku said.

Riku hesitantly reached up and took off the blindfold, revealing a pair of bright blue-green eyes. He seemed shocked after opening his eyes.

"What was that?" Sora said.

Mickey approached the two.

"His eyes couldn't lie." Mickey said.

"Lie?" Sora said. He placed his hands on his hips and smiled at Riku. "And just who were you trying to fool? Huh? Huhhh?"

"Myself." Riku said. Sora's face fell.

"Riku... C'mon, man! Why did you try to do so much on your own?" Sora stepped in front of the rest of us. "You've got friends... like us!"

Riku looked at everyone of us. We all smiled and nodded in agreement. Riku walked up to Sora.

"Have you forgotten? I'll tell you why." Riku said. "'Cause I'm not a total sap like you."

"Say that again!" Sora said.

There was a strange warping sound. We turned to the sky. Kingdom Hearts was distorted, with a black hole in the center. The hearts falling free were getting sucked back into the giant contraption.

"Uh-ohhhh!" Donald cried.

We ran to the edge and looked over. A tsunami of Heartless climbed up the side of the castle toward us.

"The hearts released from Kingdom Hearts found their way back into the Heartless." I said, glaring down at the creatures of darkness in disgust.

"What should we do, Riku?" Sora said.

"We must defeat Xemnas." Riku said. "He's the Organization's last survivor."

Sora nodded. Riku turned around, reached up, and yanked his black cloak off. Underneath, he wore a black double zippered shirt as a bottom layer. It was left open at the bottom so his belly button was exposed. He wore an unzipped white vest lined with yellow over it, blue baggy pants, and white shoes. The Organization cloak fluttered off the side of the balcony and down to the ground, never to be worn again.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<br>**

**Hallie and the gang now begin the extermination of the Organization. Hallie and Sora defeat Organization members Luxord and Saix. After defeating Saix, Sora learns why the Organization members called him by the name of Roxas, because he is his Nobody who was once a member of the Organization before he betrayed them to find answers. Hallie also finds out that Callum is her Nobody. The mystery of how he could've been born remains, for Hallie must've had to have turned into a Heartless at some point in her life- most likely during her childhood. The gang finds Mickey and finally meets the great researcher, Ansem the Wise, who is trying to collect data from Kingdom Hearts with a machine. However, he is quick to realize that a heart is much more than data. Xemnas appears and contends with Ansem the Wise before the machine explodes, covering the area in light. When the light subsided, the gang finds Ansem the Wise, the machine, and Xemnas gone. However, Riku has transformed back into his original self. Kingdom Hearts has been corrupted and damaged, but the hearts released from it are finding their way back into the Heartless, and they are all heading straight for Hallie and her friends. The only way to fix everything is to find Xemnas and defeat him, putting an end to Organization XIII once and for all.**

**What awaits Hallie at the top of The Castle That Never Was? Will Hallie ever learn more about Callum? Will _you_?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	51. My Friends Are My Power

**CHAPTER FIFTY ONE**

We ran through Ruin and Creation's Passage. As we reached the door to the other room, Kairi called to us. We turned to see an endless wave of Shadow Heartless streaming in through the windows.

"There's gonna be no end to this!" Riku said as a giant herd of Heartless climbed up the path towards us.

"Together we can stop 'em!" Sora said. He looked at Riku then at me.

Suddenly, a wave of green fire appeared in front of us. Maleficent and Pete stood in our way.

"Be gone from here! Leave these creatures to us!" Maleficent said.

"But there's no way we can take 'em all!" Pete said.

"What, are you going to run away again?" I said.

"I will send them to Xemnas." Maleficent said. "Or, perhaps, you would rather fight them yourself?"

Pete thought about it then.

"Frankly, my dear, I'd rather... RUN!" Pete cried. I rolled my eyes.

"Off with you then!" Maleficent said.

Pete began to back away, but then he saw Mickey and stopped.

"Well, if it ain't the boat-boy King." Pete said.

"Time to weigh anchor, Captain Pete!" Mickey said.

"What, like "abandon ship"? I don't think so!"

"But you just..." I said. I sighed in frustration.

"Sora! Hallie! "Your Majesty"! Do not forget- when I've destroyed them all, this castle shall be mine!" Maleficent said.

"Now lookie here. Opportunities like this don't come along every day, ya know." Pete said. He ran over back to Maleficent's side. "Bring'em on!"

They ran towards the Heartless.

"We gotta hurry!" Mickey said.

"But..." Sora said.

"We can't just leave them!" I said.

"They're doing what their hearts command. We can't interfere." Mickey said.

We looked at them for a few more seconds, then turned around and walked away.

* * *

><p>We climbed up the stairs to the Altar of Naught. Xemnas stood in the center, looking up at Kingdom Hearts with his arms raised. Mickey, Sora, Riku, and I stood in a line while Donald, Goofy, and Kairi stood behind us.<p>

"Oh... My Kingdom Hearts... ruined. Now I'll have to start all over again." Xemnas said. He turned to us. "Warriors of the Keyblade! Go forth, and bring me more hearts!"

"No!" Sora, Riku, Mickey and I cried. The three boys summoned their Keyblades and pointed them at Xemnas.

"Denizens of light, answer this: Why do you hate the darkness?" Xemnas said.

"Aw, we don't hate it. It's just kinda... scary." Mickey said. "But the world's made of light AND darkness. You can't have one without the others, 'cause darkness is half of everything. Sorta makes ya wonder why we're scared of the dark."

"It's because of who's lurking inside it." Riku said.

"Then allow me another question. You accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why is it that you loathe us who teeter on the edge of nothing?" Xemnas said. "We who were turned away by both light and dark- never given a choice."

"That's simple. It's because you mess up our worlds."

Xemnas scowled. "That may be... However, what other choice might we have had?"

"Just give it a rest." Sora said. "You're Nobodies! You don't even exist! You're not sad about anything!"

"Very good. You don't miss a thing. I can not feel sorrow... No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think, what you feel, or how you exist." Xemnas chuckled. "But you've chosen to ignore one crucial fact; _you've_ had a pawn of the darkness alongside you throughout your entire journey."

"Huh?" everyone said.

Xemnas raised his hand dramatically and pointed it at me. Suddenly, I was hit by more excruciating pain. I cried out and collapsed to my knees, clutching my head.

"This girl you thought to be your friend has been harboring the purest of darkness inside her heart since she was born. She will make the perfect vessel..." Xemnas said.

"What are you talking about?!" Sora cried.

"You... you did something to me, didn't you?!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Not quite." Xemnas said. "I believe your memories hold the answer... and they have been returning, bit by bit. As they fight back, your protected heart withers away as the darkness within you grows stronger."

I screamed and dug my nails into the sides of my head as the pain heightened. My right arm felt like it was on fire.

_Fight it, Hallie! _a male voice cried in my head.

_The darkness can't have you! _a female voice said.

"You can make it all go away..." Xemnas said, walking over to me. "Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger. It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself."

_Hallie... you must be strong and fight for what is right. _The gypsy's voice echoed in my head._ The expectations others have for you are great, but you are the one that decides what you do with your legacy. Only you are able to decide where your destiny will take you._

_Hallie, please, don't give in! I need you! _That voice... My heart skipped a beat.

"NOOO!" I threw back my head and screamed as I felt myself black out.

"Hallie!" I heard Sora's muffled voice cry.

* * *

><p>Is this what death is like?<p>

_No... I'm... still alive._

I opened my eyes and took slow, deep breaths. I sat up and looked around. The air seemed to waver and warp, and in the distance, I saw Memory's Skyscraper from the Dark City. Everything seemed like a strange, wavering illusion.

"What am I...?" I said.

"Geez, you just won't give up, huh?" a female voice said.

I gasped and turned to the Skyscraper. Seated at a one of the window ledges sat the girl I met before. She sat forward, resting her elbows on her legs and her chin in her hands. She swung her legs back and forth and giggled.

"Persistent, aren't you?" the girl said.

"You again." I said. "Did you bring me here?"

"Ding, ding, ding! You're smarter than I thought you were!"

The girl jumped off of the ledge and disappeared momentarily into darkness before reappearing at the bottom of the stairs. She sauntered over to me and crossed her arms. My eyes zeroed in on the silver chain hanging around her neck just below the choker. It was no longer empty, but a black heart charm dangled at the end.

"Who are you?" I said.

The girl smiled and casually brushed some invisible dust off her skirt. "I guess since you are about to die, you might as well die with some sense of accomplishment."

"Huh?"

The girl placed a hand on her hip and laid the other on her heart.

"My name... is Ahllixe."

In the blink of an eye, she zipped towards me, and the black heart charm hanging on her silver chain vanished with a clutter of dark sparks that transformed into End of Pain in her hand. I gasped and jumped out of the way. I landed in a roll and stood up.

"Sorry, but death is not on my agenda right now. Since you were so kind to answer my first question, answer this one, too: _what_ are you?" I said. My fingers twitched, ready to summon my Keyblade Armor.

"It took you so long to figure it out the first time, hopefully the second time won't be as long." Ahllixe said. "I mean, the secret that drove you and Callum apart? Why, it almost KILLED him! All he wanted was to be with you, but what he didn't have was the power to BE. Love is a rather nasty thing, huh?"

"To be...?" I said. I gasped. "You're a Nobody?"

Ahllixe giggled and twirled End of Pain on her finger.

"Not just any Nobody." she said. There was a flash of light and and in her place I saw myself again. Through my amber eyes, a flash of her blood red iris color peeked through. She held her hands behind her back and smiled. "I'm _your_ Nobody."

There was another flash, and the girl's appearance returned. She charged again. I cried out and dodged with a backhand spring.

"That... can't be possible!" I said. "Callum's my Nobody!"

"And I am, too!" Ahllixe said. "Sick twist of events, huh? Of course, no one really knew about my existence until Xemnas was kind enough to help me escape from the prison you trapped me inside."

"What-"

That's when I remembered- when we returned to Hollow Bastion to save it from the Heartless. I remembered the darkness that came from me. The pain I felt when I encountered Xemnas. The voice I heard.

"That darkness..." I said. "That was you?"

"You're getting _really_ good at this!" Ahllixe said. "Yes, that was me. Cooped up in that little heart of yours for _years_, only able to see the things you saw, hear the things you heard? Surrounded by all that light? YUCK. Of course, only my body had escaped at that moment. I needed one final push to be able to be completely restored, and thankfully, Xemnas had the key."

I clenched my fist.

"C'mon, Hallie. Aren't you tired of all that confusion and anger? All the hidden secrets that even the Organization knows about? And yet no one is willing to tell you, not even your "bestest" friend! We can help you. It can all go away. Come over to the darkness!" Ahllixe said. Something gleamed in her eyes. "It's fun! Plus, the guys there are way hotter."

I bowed my head and looked away.

_What is this girl talking about? There's no way that I'd ever want to do something so heinous as to join the darkness. But... she has a point. I'm tired of the secrets hidden inside of me that even I can't unlock. I'm tired of being angry and confused. I'm tired of so many questions and no answers. I just... I want it all to stop._

I remembered all too well that day in Hollow Bastion. I remembered the darkness that came from inside me. The fear I saw in my friends' eyes. I ran because I was afraid and I didn't want to face them. I tried to push people away.

But Sora... he chased after me. He never gave up on me, despite the many times I did. When I was down, he made me smile. When I cried, he was there to comfort me. Throughout our journey, he was always there for me. I could always count on him.

He was the one who saw me for who I really am: the sassy, sarcastic girl who loved to shove her knowledge down people's throats and shun those who lacked it. The girl who was an expert at pushing people away and knowing how to push their buttons.

And yet, through all my flaws and insecurities... he loved me anyways.

I reached down and unclipped the doll that hung at my belt. I gazed down at it, gently brushing my fingers through its hair. I held the doll up to my heart.

"Well?" Ahllixe said, leaning forward with her hands behind her back. "What's it gonna be? Wanna take a cruise on the cool train?"

Ahllixe reached out a hand to me. I took a deep breath, clipped the doll back onto my belt, and stood straight up.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Ahllixe said, returning the hand that was reached out back to her hip.

"You heard me. I said no." I said. "I am stronger than the darkness. I don't care what you will do to me. Torture me, maim me, kill me, whatever. I will never give in to the darkness. I'll see to that, and my friends will see to that as well. I understand now that light isn't the only thing that can conquer darkness. Love can as well. Love is a force that can never be broken, and with every friend connected through its ties, every promise whispered through its lips, the light inside of me grows stronger. I don't need the darkness, and I don't need the Keyblade. My friends are my power!"

As I raised my hand up, prepared to summon my Keyblade Armor, there was a flash of golden light. Ahllixe cried out and fell back to the ground. A stream of light descended from the sky and trickled down in front of me. I stretched my hand out and clenched my fist around it, transforming into a weapon. A Keyblade.

_Ultima Weapon._ I shivered at the sound of the gypsy's voice resonating in my head.

Ahllixe stood up and gasped when she saw the Keyblade in my hand.

"What? Not possible!" she cried.

I chuckled. "Not probable."

Ahllixe growled and she glowed with darkness. She summoned End of Pain and lunged towards me. I raised my Keyblade and blocked her attack. She brought her face uncomfortably close to mine.

"You _need_ the darkness, Hallie." Ahllixe said. "Without it, you wouldn't have survived that day your precious home was destroyed."

"Home?" I said. I scowled and pushed her back. "Where my heart wants to be, where it belongs, that is my home. _He_ is my home."

"He?" Ahllixe said. Her surprise turned into a nasty scowl.

She lifted her fist as darkness covered it. She let out an angry cry as she shot her hand forward. A burst of darkness zipped towards me.

"_Let's do this, Hallie._" the gypsy said. "_Together._"

I nodded as I began to glow. I brought a hand to my heart as the skin above it glowed especially bright.

"Light!" I cried, raising my Keyblade to the sky.

An orb of light appeared above me. It shined brightly, relinquishing the darkness around me. Ahllixe growled, but her eyes showed fear. I swung my Keyblade around, swinging the light around as well. With a grunt, I launched the orb of light in the direction of Ahllixe.

There was a scream and an explosion. The impact sent me flying back, but I took my Keyblade, stabbed the ground with it, and used the momentum to swing myself back onto my feet. As the smoke subsided, I could see Ahllixe laying on the ground. She panted and groaned as she stood up on her feet. She stumbled around a bit and she began to giggle.

"Well done, Hallie..." Ahllixe said.

She stood straight up and began to fade away. In a flash, I saw a faint silhouette standing next to her. A boy in a dark organic bodysuit. He had black spiky hair and yellow eyes. I gulped.

"See you soon..." Ahllixe and the boy said as they faded away.

The air filled with laughter. I recognized the boy's laugh from that strange chamber where I found Ventus: bitter and bone-chilling.

The laughter subsided and it was quiet. I turned and looked to Memory's Skyscraper. I took a deep breath of relief.

"Sora, hang in there." I said.

"Hallie! Where are you?" I heard Sora call.

The illusion around me disappeared into light.

* * *

><p>The air warped around me and I fell face-first onto the floor of Altar's Naught. I groaned.<p>

"Sora! Hallie!" Riku said.

I looked up to see everyone approaching us. Sora laid on the ground as well. We stood up and looked at each other.

"You're okay!" Mickey said.

Sora lingered his gaze on me before turning to everyone. "Where's Xemnas?"

Donald looked around and squawked. We looked up to see Xemnas floating before his distorted Kingdom Hearts.

"Hear me, Kingdom Hearts! It seems we must begin anew." Xemnas cried. "Ah, but know this: I will give to you as many hearts as it takes. Mark my words! You can no more be complete without me than I without you. Heed me, Kingdom Hearts! Lend me your power, so that we may be complete! The power to erase the fools that hinder us."

"Xemnas, no!" Mickey cried.

"Hearts quivering with hatred..."

"Xemnas, don't!" Sora cried.

"Hearts burning with rage..."

"You won't win!" I cried.

"Hearts scarred by envy... That fool Ansem said the heart's true nature was beyond his understanding. But it's not beyond mine! Hearts are the source of all power!"

Kingdom Hearts glowed with intense light. We shielded our eyes from it. When it subsided, Xemnas was gone.

"Xemnas! You can't hide from us!" Sora cried.

"We're not gonna let him get away now!" Mickey said.

"Look at that!" Kairi said, pointing past the altar at something in the distance.

There was a flash of light and a door appeared before us.

"What's goin' on?" Goofy said.

"Kingdom Hearts..." Mickey said.

"Let's go. Xemnas must be inside." Riku said.

"The worlds gave us this doorway. They want us to be the guardians of their destiny."

"They're counting on us." I said. "And there is no way that we're going to let them down."

"Once we go through, there's no turning back. It's victory... or oblivion." Riku said. "Sora, Hallie, are you ready?"

Sora looked forward towards the door. I stepped next to him. I reached out and took his hand.

"I'm not afraid." I said. "As long as we stand together, nothing will get in our way."

Sora looked down at our intertwined hands then at me. He smiled and nodded. He squeezed my hand for a second before letting go.

One by one we summoned our Keyblades: A Way to Dawn, Kingdom Key, Ultima Weapon, and Kingdom Key D. Sora looked at my Keyblade in surprise.

"But, what about...?" he said.

"Even in the deepest depths of darkness, no matter where I go, a light will always be there to find me." I said.

Sora nodded. The four of us pointed our Keyblades, the tips meeting together. Light collected at the tips of our Keyblades. We raised our Keyblades up to the sky and beams of light shot out. They connected together and the door opened.

"Get ready, Xemnas!" Sora said. "It all ends here!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**The Organization's Kingdom Hearts has been damaged by Hallie and the gang, but they have quickly been recaptured by an army of Heartless, and they are heading towards the group. As they ascend through the castle, they come face-to-face with the tsunami of Heartless, but Maleficent and Pete step in to hold them off while they keep going. They reach the top of The Castle That Never Was and confront Xemnas. There, Hallie learns that Xemnas has something to do with what's happening with her, as he calls out to the unknown darkness building in her heart and has supposedly been slowly working to destroy it. He tries to entice her to the darkness, but she refuses and is transported to an illusion, where she again meets the mysterious girl. She finally reveals herself: her name is Ahllixe, and she is **_**also **_**Hallie's Nobody. Ahllixe also tries to lure Hallie over to the darkness, but, again, she refuses, drawing power from the love she shares with her friends. In a flash of light, a new Keyblade is bestowed to Hallie: Ultima Weapon. Hallie defeats Ahllixe and returns back to reality. Xemnas disappears inside Kingdom Hearts. The worlds create a door for the gang so they can go after Xemnas and protect them. Hallie, Sora, Riku, and Mickey unlock the door, determined to put an end to the Organization once and for all.**

**Could Xemnas be connected to Hallie through something past his Nobody existence? Who is Ahllixe, and what's her story? How did Hallie come to have **_**two **_**Nobodies?**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	52. This Ends Now

**AUTHOR'S NOTE #1:**

**I've changed my mind and decided that this story is going to get finished this week, because two of the upcoming chapters are pretty short and the final chapter is SUPER long. With only four chapters left (OMGOODNESS), posting will be everyday this week except Wednesday. These upcoming chapters are the final battle and the end! Are you excited?! BECAUSE I AM! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FIFTY TWO<strong>

We stepped through the door and walked through the Dark City that laid before us. We looked up and saw a colossal Nobody dragon attached to the top of Memory's Skyscraper.

"So... it seems your hearts have led you to obliteration. Perhaps it doesn't pay to be too loyal to one's heart." Xemnas said. "I will have to be sure to remember that."

Xemnas stretched his hand out and pointed his finger at us, and a large building fell down, threatening to crush us. We ran back to the door. As the building smashed to the ground, the impact shoved us down. The door began to close as Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had fallen on the other side.

"No!" Riku cried, as if his voice could halt the door, but it closed. Riku, Sora, and I stood up and turned back around, facing the city.

"We can take him on our own!" Sora said.

We summoned our Keyblades and ran forward. Buildings popped up in front of us, but Sora and I zipped forward, slashing through the buildings with lightning motions. We landed as the buildings crumbled to pieces and continued on. The dragon Nobody lifted its arms and the ground beneath us rumbled. It was lifted up into the air. As we ran, more buildings appeared and fell down. We jumped into the air and sliced through them. Sora and I ran over the sides of falling buildings and leaped to the next ones, slashing and destroying them. As the scattered pieces fell, we jumped along the sides and jumped into one of the castle's craters. Heartless appeared and we shoved them into the core at the end of the crater, incinerating them.

"It's gonna blow!" Sora cried after sending enough Heartless into the crater.

We ran to the side and jumped up onto a beam as the core exploded and broke off into the darkness. We jumped and flew to the other crater, sending Heartless into that core. We jumped up onto another beam and rocketed to the top as that energy core exploded and broke off. We arrived in a white room with a large energy core branded with the Nobody symbol. We attacked the core. Nobodies appeared periodically and a barrier would come up around the energy core, so we had to defeat the Nobodies in order to unlock it.

The energy core stopped and we were taken to the top. Xemnas sat in a throne wearing white Keyblade Armor. He used weapons of other Organization members to attack us: Demyx's water forms, Xaldin's spears, and Saix's berserker axes being a few examples. Sora and I lunged and plunged our Keyblades into the armor's chest plate. Xemnas let out a cry and we were bathed in light.

We returned to Altar's Naught. Xemnas, clutching his chest, fell down on one knee.

"I need... more rage..." he said. "I need more... hearts..."

"Xemnas. There's more to a heart than just anger or hate. It's full of all kinds of feelings." Sora said. "Don't you remember?"

"Unfortunately... I don't."

Xemnas faded away. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi cheered.

"Gosh, you all did great!" Mickey said.

As the cheering continued, Riku walked away to the end of the railing.

"You're coming back with us, right?" Sora said.

"I had given into darkness." Riku said.

"Riku!"

"How am I going to face everyone?!"

"Like this!"

Sora made a silly face, smushing his face together and crossing his eyes. Riku let out a chuckle, which bubbled into a laugh.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled violently.

"Hurry!" Mickey cried.

"I'll open a path." Riku said.

He held out his hand, but nothing happened.

"You don't belong in the dark realm anymore, Riku." Mickey said.

"How do we get out of here, Your Majesty?" Donald said.

We turned around and I saw Naminé standing on the other side of the altar. She turned around and stretched out her hand, summoning a corridor of darkness. Mickey and Donald ran over to the corridor, and Naminé disappeared when they stood where she did.

"Who did this?" Donald said.

"Welp, I'm not sure." Mickey said. "But we'd better hurry and get through."

"Huh? You... didn't see her?" I said.

"Who?"

"Nami... um... never mind." I felt a gentle nudge, and I glanced at Sora and Kairi. They nodded, agreeing that they saw her as well.

Pluto, Mickey's dog, ran over and circled around Mickey and Donald, barking and panting excitedly. He ran into the corridor.

"Wait for me!" Goofy cried.

Goofy ran into the corridor. Mickey ran through after them.

"C'mon!" Donald squawked before following his friends.

Naminé reappeared in front of the corridor of darkness. Sora, Kairi, and I approached her.

"Thank you, Naminé." Kairi said.

"Sure." Naminé said. She turned to Sora. "See? We meet again, like we promised."

"Huh?" Sora said.

"You said we'd meet again, but when we did, we might not recognize each other." a voice said.

Sora looked around, confused. Roxas appeared and stepped out of him. Sora jumped back in surprise.

"I did, didn't I?" Naminé said.

"But I knew you." Roxas said.

"Mmm... it's strange."

"I think I understand. I see myself the way you remember me. And you see yourself the way I remember you."

"I always thought Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness..."

"Yeah, but you and I didn't. We got to meet our original selves."

"So, we can be together again!"

Roxas stepped back to Naminé's side.

"Right. Anytime Sora and Kairi are together." Roxas said.

"The same goes for me as well." a voice that send a shock of frisson through my body said.

Callum stepped out of me and stood next to Naminé and Roxas. Roxas patted his hand against Callum's shoulder and smiled.

"It's been a while." he said. "Did you have fun?"

Callum chuckled. "I've got a thousand stories to tell you."

"Callum..." I said.

"I told you that things would work out in the end." Naminé said. "Life has a funny way of happening in ways you didn't expect."

I nodded. Kairi took a step towards Naminé and held her hand out. Naminé took it and she began to shimmer gold. She disappeared and Kairi shimmered for a few seconds. Sora looked at her in shock.

"Look sharp!" Roxas said. Sora straightened.

Roxas glowed blue. He disappeared and Sora shimmered. He gasped and frantically patted his clothing to ensure he didn't go through some freakish metamorphosis. Callum stepped to me. He reached out and placed his hand on my cheek.

"Don't ever forget." Callum said. "Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

I nodded, reaching up to place my hand over his. Callum shimmered purple. He disappeared and I glowed for a few moments. His touch was gone, replaced with mine as I cupped my cheek.

"Hey, let's go!" Kairi said, standing at the portal.

"Riku, Hallie, c'mon." Sora said, looking to us when he said our names, then at the portal.

"Yeah." Riku and I said.

We walked towards the portal. Suddenly, it began to rumble. Kairi whirled around.

"Sora! Hallie! Riku!" she cried.

She reached out a hand to us, but the portal disappeared.

"Huh?!" we all said.

There was a flash of light. We ran to the railing and looked in the distance. A massive Dragon Ship zoomed towards us. It body slammed the altar, and we clung to the ground to avoid being thrown off. The dragon let out a roar. The Altar began to crumble. It tilted sideways and we began to slide off. As we slid, I saw a small Nobody ship with two platforms. Riku stood up, ran down, and jumped into the ship. He flew the ship around.

"Sora! Hallie!" Riku called.

We stood up, ran down the altar, and jumped onto the platforms. As we flew, the Dragon Ship soared past us. We summoned our Keyblades.

The Dragon Ship summoned Heartless after us. They shot lasers at us, but we absorbed them into our ship and shot them back at the Dragon. When there was enough energy, we shot a mega-laser at the Dragon. One of its rockets exploded and disappeared. We flew over to the side and repeated the process, destroying the other rocket as well. Riku flew the ship around to the front of the Dragon. It roared and shot blue lasers after us. After the lasers, it sent heat-seeking missiles at us, but Sora and I blocked them and sent them exploding in another direction. We flew to its wings and destroyed them one by one.

We watched the Dragon Ship plunge into darkness.

"Now... is it over?" I said.

I was very much wrong. The Dragon emerged once again, its upper body peeking through the darkness. It roared, and darkness spread in the air. When it dispersed, we were in a large, purple void, the Dragon's upper body sticking out of the end opposite from us. Riku drove the ship over to the head and we jumped off, where another Keyblade Armored Xemnas sat in his throne. As we stared him down, we heard the sound of revving engines. We turned to see our ship carried away in the swirling vortex of darkness churning above us.

"There goes our ride..." I said, turning back to Xemnas.

We summoned our Keyblades.

"Hey, Riku?" Sora said.

"Yeah?" Riku said.

"I wanted to thank Naminé, but... I couldn't bring myself to say it, not until everything was back to the way it was before."

"Don't worry. We'll make it right." I said. "When this is over, you'll be able to properly thank her."

"Yeah!"

We charged and attacked. As we attacked, we were suddenly knocked back by force all the way to the other end of the void. Sora grabbed my hand and we soared through the air back to the Dragon Ship. It used its arms to create an impenetrable shield. Portals of darkness opened and buildings hurtled towards us.

"Sora! Hallie!" Riku called for our attention.

He hopped onto a building. Sora and I took our Keyblades and slammed them into the building. Riku and the building shot forward and crashed into the Dragon. As the building bounced back, Riku slashed at it with his Keyblade and it broke into pieces. The pieces once again slammed into the Dragon. It writhed in the air, allowing us to return to the head. Xemnas let out a roar and lasers appeared. Sora and I spun through the air, dodging the lasers, and glided back to the Dragon's head, where we attacked Xemnas once again.

Xemnas let out an agonizing roar. The area was bathed in light. The light subsided and we now stood in a swirling corridor of white and gray. Xemnas's black coat was now white and covered with intricate black designs.

"Heroes from the realm of light... I will not allow it to end this way- not yet." Xemnas said. "If light and darkness are eternal, then surely we nothings must be the same... Eternal!"

"You're right, light and darkness are eternal. Nothing probably goes on forever, too." Riku said. "But guess what, Xemnas?"

"That doesn't mean YOU'RE eternal!" Sora said.

Xemnas laughed.

"No more eternal than that radiance of yours..."

"This ends now." I said. We summoned our Keyblades. "Your reign of tyranny is over... Xehanort."

Xemnas' hands sparked with electricity. He zipped forward, grabbed Sora and Riku by the throat, and threw them up into the air. He summoned his Ethereal Blades and flew up into the air. I jumped up and blocked his attack. Streams of darkness wove in and out around us, and we swirled through the air, dodging the darkness and Xemnas as he disappeared and reappeared in various places, trying to attack us. Sora cast Reflega, but Xemnas broke through. He knocked his Keyblade out of his hand and roundhouse kicked him away. As Sora fell through the air, Riku grabbed his Keyblade and threw it back to him. As Xemnas closed in on Sora, he grabbed his Keyblade and blocked the Blade. Riku blocked the other Blade. As Xemnas knocked the two boys away with a spinning slash, I shoved him to the ground, where we all attacked him. Xemnas disappeared and reappeared in various places, summoning Ethereal lasers. As they shot towards us, we deflected them with our Keyblades. Sora charged forward and attacked, but Xemnas shot his arms out and trapped Sora inside a ball of dark electricity that drained his energy away. Riku and I ran forward, but Xemnas shoved his feet into our chests and knocked us back. I landed on the ground in a backhand spring and looked up as Sora continued to be drained.

"Sora!" I cried.

I brought my fist up and slammed it into my pauldron's orb. There was a flash of light and I donned my Keyblade Armor. Riku ran forward, knocking away the Xemnas clone that approached him. Riku jumped up and caught Xemnas' fist with his. The dark energy disappeared around Sora and he fell to the ground. I sprinted to him and lunged. I caught Sora and we tumbled to the ground. We caught our breath as we laid side by side.

"You all right?" I said.

Sora gazed at me, his eyes refocusing. "Yeah. Thanks."

We jumped up and called our Keyblades back to our side. Riku knocked his Keyblade into Xemnas a few times before hurling him up into the air. He landed at our side. As Xemnas floated there in the air in a daze, we attacked. Xemnas recollected himself and disappeared momentarily. When he reappeared, his hands glowed with dark electric energy. He brought his hands together and lifted them up into the air. The room was shrouded in darkness. We were covered by a dome of Ethereal lasers. Xemnas sparked with electricity and thrust his arms towards us.

"Now!" I cried.

As Ethereal lasers rained down on us, Sora, Riku, and I deflected them in a blinding fury. Deflecting and flipping and slashing around, the lasers bounced away into the darkness, never to return. The area filled with light and we collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Xemnas lunged and swung his foot into Riku, knocking him back.

"Riku!" Sora cried.

Xemnas's eyes fell on Sora. I jumped up to attack, but he reached out and seized my throat in his hand. I wheezed, but no air entered my lungs as he squeezed my throat tightly.

"Hallie!" Sora's voice felt fuzzy in my ears. Xemnas whipped around and hurled me away. I grunted in pain each time my body hit the ground, a number of which I lost count quickly. In a flash, my Keyblade Armor vanished and I gasped for air in a struggling effort to fight off unconsciousness.

_My friends... lend me strength._

The pain in my body dulled to nothing as inspired adrenaline pumped into my veins. I hoisted myself up to my feet and summoned Ultima Weapon back to my side. Suddenly, it began to glow brightly. My weapon's length grew at least a foot. The light faded in an ombre effect, starting from the handle to the tip, slowly revealing the finished product: two Kingdom Keys crossed together in an X with the teeth facing outward, a large, sharp, golden blade placed between them. The entirety of the weapon- the blade, filigree, and the blades of the Kingdom Keys- gleamed with power. The keychain was a black and red heart, similar to the Heartless symbol, with two Kingdom Keys crossed over it. I held the weapon up and I stared at it in intense awe.

_What... is this thing?_

Remembering the dire situation my friends and I were in, I snapped back and charged towards Xemnas. Sora turned to Xemnas, who pointed his Ethereal Blade at him. As he lifted his arm to swing, Riku lunged and blocked Xemnas' attack. Riku shoved Sora away as Xemnas came back around with another attack, this time slamming his Ethereal Blade into Riku's side.

"_Riku!_" I cried, stopping in my place from shock.

Sora reacted immediately. He snatched A Way to Dawn out of Riku's hand, and he launched towards Xemnas, dealing quick combos at him. As Xemnas fell in the air, Sora jumped up again and slammed the Keyblades into Xemnas. Riku, Sora, and I stood together, respectively. Sora offered Kingdom Key to us. I reached out and placed my hand over Sora's. Riku reached out and placed his hand over mine. Light collected at the tip, and a beam shot out and struck Xemnas.

"It's over!" I cried.

I lunged forward and plunged the mysterious weapon into Xemnas's chest. He let out an agonizing cry, one hand reaching out and the other clutching his chest, as he faded away. As the relieving silence settled in, light surrounded the mysterious weapon in my hand. It shrunk in size, and when the light subsided, Ultima Weapon reappeared. I reached up and touched my charm self-consciously.

"We did it!" Sora cried.

Sora quickly regretted his cheer. A sea of Dusks surrounded us.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Riku said.

The Dusks lunged. There was a bright flash of light. When it subsided, the Dusks disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Riku collapsed onto his hands and knees.

"Riku!" Sora and I cried, kneeling on either side of him.

"Sora... Hallie..." Riku said. "I can't..."

"Don't say another word!" Sora said. "It's not over. It's just not."

Sora slung Riku's arm around his shoulders and held his at Riku's waist. He helped him up.

"How can you say that?" Riku said. "Even if we could go on... look where we are."

"Aw, c'mon, Riku." Sora said. "You've been hanging out in darkness too long. You gotta try and think positive!"

"Yeah." I said. "Wherever there is hope, the light will always be able to find us."

The two boys nodded thoughtfully. We slowly walked together through the corridor.

"You know..." Riku said to Sora. "I always figured I was better at stuff than you."

"Really?" Sora chuckled.

"Are you mad?"

"No... I kinda always thought you were better at everything, too."

I laughed. The sound echoed through the corridor and it took a while for it to fade away.

"Riku, Hallie- look." Sora said. "What's that light?"

We followed his line of sight as a portal of light appeared in front of us. We walked into the light.

* * *

><p>I stepped onto the sandy shore of a dark ocean.<p>

"End of the road..." I said. "Wait..."

I looked around me. Sora and Riku were gone.

"Oh, no..." I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Riku! Sora!"

No answer. My voice was drowned out by the waves crashing against the sand. I clenched my fists and stared at the ground.

"Is this... the Realm of Darkness?" I said. I huffed and shook my head. "No, I won't give up. I have to keep going."

I took a deep breath and walked along the shores of the Dark Margin. I walked for what felt like hours. With each step I took, I grew more and more hopeless. I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

"Maybe Ahllixe was right... Maybe this is where I belong..." I said. "I should very well just... fade into darkness..."

I looked up and I gasped. There in the distance, someone sat at the shoreline, gazing out into the black sea.

A woman.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<br>**

**Sora, Riku, and Hallie defeat Xemnas and return to the Altar of Naught. There, Naminé, seen only by Sora, Kairi, and Hallie, summons a corridor of darkness that leads to their home, Destiny Islands. Roxas and Callum appear as well, and the two friends are reunited. With a promise that they'd be able to be together as long as Hallie, Kairi, and Sora are together, the three Nobodies return to their Somebodies. After Kairi enters the corridor of darkness, it abruptly closes, leaving Riku, Hallie, and Sora on the Altar. Foolishly thinking they had defeated Xemnas, they learn that it was just the beginning as the final battle officially begins. After fighting against a Dragon Nobody and Armored Xemnas Part 2, the three are transported to the heart of the Organization's Kingdom Hearts, where they confront Xemnas for the final _final_ battle. As the odds begin to go against them, Hallie calls upon the strength of her friends to finish this deed. Her Keyblade, Ultima Weapon, transforms into a mysterious weapon, which she uses to defeat Xemnas. The Organization and Nobodies are finished for good. Riku collapses after the battle, injured from taking a hit meant for Sora. Determined to keep going, the three stumble upon a portal of light. The light sweeps Hallie away to the Dark Margin, but she has been separated from Sora and Riku. As she begins to lose hope, she sees a woman in the distance, sitting on the shores of the Dark Margin.****  
><strong>

**What was the mysterious weapon that came to Hallie aid? Who is the woman that's with Hallie on the Dark Margin? Could it be who you think it is?**

**Stay tuned and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	53. An Old Friend

**CHAPTER FIFTY THREE**

She sat there on the shore, gazing at the moon that hung low in the grey sky. She had blue hair and pale blue eyes. She wore a black and blue, high collared halter top with two pink intersecting belts over her chest, and black shorts. She wore white bell-sleeves and tan, fingerless gloves. She wore black stockings and silver armored boots. A small piece of segmented armor rested on each of her upper arms.

As I stepped closer, she looked up at me in shock.

"Wha... what are you doing here?" she said.

"I... know you." I said, my head throbbing with each beat of my heart. "Have we met before?"

The woman stood up and studied me very closely. As she stared into my eyes, hers lit up and her expression melted into overwhelming joy.

"Hallie!" she cried. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

"Uh..." I said. "Is that a yes?"

The woman let go and placed her hands on my arms.

"I guess it was so long ago, you probably don't remember." she said.

"Uh, sure..." I said. "So, what's your name?"

The woman reached into her pocket. She pulled out a golden ribbon and held it up between us.

"My name is Aqua." the woman said.

I stared at the golden ribbon as it fluttered in front of my face like a hypnotist's watch. I gasped and grabbed her hands, feeling the soft texture of her gloves.

_An old friend..._

"Aqua!" I cried. "You... you were there, when I was wandering around in darkness! It was you who led me to the Realm of Light! You were the one who saved me!"

Aqua smiled warmly.

"I can't believe you're here." she said. "How is Sora?"

I looked at her in surprise. "You know Sora?" I said.

"Well, in a way, yes. I met him and Riku when they were little kids. While I was here, I dreamed about you. I dreamed that you would save us."

"Us?"

Aqua's eyes trailed to the pauldron on my arm. She touched it gingerly and gasped.

"He heard you." she whispered. "He's still out there..."

I looked at her curiously, but I decided not to push that subject. I sighed and looked to the shore.

"My friends..." I whispered. "Will I ever be able to go back home?"

Aqua lowered her head. "I don't know. I've been here for so long."

I dropped my hands to my sides and brushed my fingers against something. Warmth coursed through my veins and sent shivers up my spine. I looked down and saw the doll dangling from my belt. I unclipped it and held it in my hands. His face flooded into my mind: the starry sky, our storybook friends waving in the background, and the gentle touch of his hands holding mine. I remembered the sparkle in his eye and the tenderness in his smile as he gazed at me. I choked back a sob.

"Sora..." I whispered.

A tear escaped down my cheek and hit the ground. I hugged the doll tightly and squeezed my eyes shut.

I heard Aqua gasp beside me. I looked up and gasped as well. Light appeared before us, growing into a large, door-shaped blob.

"Light..." Aqua said.

"The Door to Light." I said. "But how?"

Aqua looked at me and smiled. "_He_ heard you."

I looked to the light and walked to the edge of the shore. I turned back, but Aqua was gone. I sighed.

"See you later... Aqua." I said.

I clutched my doll to my heart and turned back around. The door grew larger, and the light filled me with comfort. I stepped through the door.

* * *

><p><em>Hallie...<em> a voice caressed my mind. _Wake up, Hallie..._

"Who's... there...?" I answer groggily.

_Hallie... welcome home..._

My eyes slowly opened. I was in darkness again. The blood-chilling thought that I was still in the Realm of Darkness knocked some adrenaline into me. I thrashed around.

No... I was... underwater?

I looked up to the surface, where I could see the reflected colors of the sunset sky shimmering on the water. I swam upward. I broke the surface and gasped for breath. I looked around me and realized I floated in an ocean. I turned around and I saw a large island in the distance. I swam towards it.

"Hello?" I tried to say, but it came out as weak as a kitten's mew.

I dragged myself onto the shore and slowly stood up.

"_HALLIE!_" multiple voices cried.

"Huh?"

I looked up as a massive force tackled me back into the sand. Arms surrounded me, squeezing me to near breathing problems. As I absorbed what was going on, I grinned when I saw a flash of white feathers and black floppy ears.

"Donald! Goofy!" I cried.

I sat up and laughed in relief as they nestled their faces against mine. Mickey ran and tackled me with a hug.

"It's nice to see you, too, Your Majesty." I laughed, hugging the mouse king.

I looked up to see Riku and Kairi running over to us with big smiles.

"Hallie, you're okay!" Kairi said.

_That voice..._ Realization hit me. _I remember that voice from when I wandered around in the darkness. Not only was Aqua there, Kairi was there too. She was one of the voices calling out to me._

Kairi and Riku held their hands out to me and helped me up. I looked at everyone, and my face slowly fell.

"Where's...?" I said.

Kairi and Riku looked at each other and smiled. They stepped to the side like curtains separating on a stage.

There he was, slowly walking down a wooden plank onto the sandy shore. His lips were curled up into a big smile, matching the brightness of his ocean blue eyes, putting the sun, the moon, and all of the stars to shame. The smile on my face didn't even come close to the happiness swirling inside me.

"Sora!" I cried.

I ran to him. Sora opened his arms and I barreled right into them. I buried my face into his shoulder and laughed in relief. I could hear the teasing giggles of Donald and Goofy, but I didn't care.

"What, no fireworks display? Not even a simple hello?" I teased. I pulled my head back to meet his eyes. Our faces were inches away. "Well?"

"I'm... really glad to see you." Sora said.

I giggled and hugged him again. "I'm glad to see you, too. You have no idea."

I pulled myself away, and I gasped quietly when I saw Roxas standing in Sora's place. I turned to my friends, and I saw Naminé where Kairi stood. I slowly reached up and ran my fingers through my hair, which was suddenly extremely short. I looked back at Roxas, and staring into his deep blue eyes, I saw someone else in the spot where I stood.

Callum.

Roxas and Naminé smiled at me before turning back into Kairi and Sora. I saw myself once again in the reflection of Sora's eyes. I let out the deep breath that built in my lungs and I smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

**If you thought Aqua, you guessed right! While at the Dark Margin, Hallie meets Aqua, one of the legendary trio from many years before that you're all very familiar with. Hallie remembers Aqua from the very beginning of her journey, while she was in the Realm of Darkness. It was Aqua who guided Hallie to the Realm of Light. However, Aqua remembers Hallie from when they apparently met when Hallie was young. As Hallie calls out to Sora, the Door to Light appears. She steps through and ends up on the shore of Destiny Islands, where her friends eagerly welcome her home. Hallie realizes that she recognized Kairi's voice from the beginning of her journey as one of the voices that called to her, ultimately leading her to Aqua and the Realm of Light. In a brief moment, Hallie sees Roxas, Naminé, and Callum, and closure is found knowing that they are happy.  
><strong>

**In the next chapter, the moment for Hallie and Sora that you've all been anxiously waiting for finally arrives!**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	54. My Heart Belongs With You

**CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR**

The sun began its descent over the ocean's horizon. The sky before me maintained its splashes of orange and yellow sunset colors while the sky behind me turned dark blue and the stars were peeking out. I stared at the wooden bridge that led to the miniature island. I let out a shaky breath and began my walk across it. With every squeak produced when I stepped in the wrong spot, my blood chilled with nervous anticipation.

I stepped onto the miniature island and approached the paopu tree that extended off of the island. Sora sat on the trunk and looked out over the sea. He turned around and saw me walking over. He jumped down from the tree and stood awkwardly, running his hand along the trunk. I stopped when we were right in front of each other. I held my hands together behind my back and hesitantly watched the ground before taking a breath. I looked up into those blue eyes.

"You know, before I came to Hollow Bastion and met you, I met this gypsy while I was in an abyss of darkness." I said. "She gave me a fortune and paved the road for me to begin my journey."

"Really?" Sora said. "What was your fortune?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my three tarot cards. I handed Sora the first card of me with Chaos Ripper standing in front of the blackened silhouettes. Colors flushed in, and the figures turned out to be Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

" 'You will go on an incredible journey, traveling to all kinds of places and meet many new people...' "

I handed him the second card. The halved face on the card that I thought to be me wasn't, but it was actually Callum's. More colors flushed into the card, revealing the halved face of Ahllixe.

" 'You will discover yourself in an unexpected way, but you will also discover the truth... pleasant and unpleasant.' "

I handed him the last card. The two Keyblades crossed together in an X behind the locked heart. I recognized them now as Kingdom Key and Ultima Weapon.

" 'You will find what you have been searching for, and you will find what your heart has been searching for. What you thought was lost forever will be found, and you will find the key that unlocks your heart.' "

Sora looked down at the last card, then up at me.

"Someone once told me that life has a funny way of working out in ways that are unexpected. When I received this fortune, I was so certain that Callum was my key. I mean, to me it seemed like the most sensible option." I said. "I was so tired of being lost and angry. My memories tore at me like a lion in a cage, desperately trying to break free from the darkness that held them. I wandered in a pit of nothing, coming to the conclusion that the darkness was where I belonged."

I looked down at my hands and held them together in front of me.

"But when I was 16, I met someone. A boy, to be more specific, my age, with brown spiky hair and ocean blue eyes. When I met him, we didn't click instantaneously. I wasn't very fond of him. He was dorky, he was goofy, and he consistently got on my nerves." I said. "But then, some things happened, and I realized that it wasn't him that needed to change, but me, and he helped me to do that. He opened my eyes to things in ways I'd never imagined. He was always there for me no matter what and he did everything he could to be at my side. He was my beacon of hope, my light in the darkness, and my friend. He made me truly happy."

Sora remained silent, and it made me nervous, but I took another deep breath.

"My entire journey, I had been searching for the place my heart wanted to call home. But I was looking in the wrong place the entire time. Anywhere you lay your heart's your home." I said. "You told me that you wanted me to be where my heart wanted to be, where it belonged. The only place I want to be is by your side. My heart belongs with you."

Sora stared at me and a thousand worst-case scenarios rushed into my mind. Sora offered my tarot cards back to me. My blood chilled.

_Why did I say that?! I should have just kept my big mouth shut and walked away! I've ruined everything! How could I be so _stupid_?!_

I slowly reached out and grabbed onto the cards. When I tried to take the cards from his hand, Sora yanked his arm back and I fell forward. He laced his arms around my waist and kissed me.

Magical sparks. And fireworks. So bright and big, you could combine together all the Fourth of Julys and New Years' Eves ever to exist in the history of time and they would never be able to amount to this moment.

We pulled away and I sucked in a breath. We stared at each other for a few moments until I saw something shimmer in my peripheral view. I looked down at my hand and saw my tarot cards glowing with light. I let go of them and they floated up into the air. It shot a beam into the air and created a keyhole.

Sora lifted his hand with his palm facing me. I reached up and our fingers intertwined. A light collected at the ends of our knuckles. A beam of light shot up and into the keyhole. The keyhole disappeared and a shower of light and sparkles rained down around me. The air filled with the loud sound of something unlocking to the beat of my heart. Something washed over me, filling my heart and spreading to every crevasse of my body. Something I hadn't felt for so long...

Peace.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<br>**

**Cue the fangirl screams! It finally happened! The gypsy's fortune, given to Hallie at the very beginning of her journey, is completed. Those pent-up feelings that you've been screaming at the screen to be confessed are. Hallie has finally found her key.  
><strong>

**BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!**

**Stay tuned, and thanks for reading! Remember to review!**


	55. A Memory in the Darkness

**I hope ****this final chapter gives satisfying answers. You'll learn about Hallie's past, and how she connects to everything. I know there will still be a lot of questions, but they will be answered as Hallie and her story progress.**

**Also, this chapter has over 6,000 words. _Oh, my gosh._**

**Bold text means that the memory has a connection to certain parts of this story and/or a Kingdom Hearts game.**

**Plain italics means it is one of Hallie's original memories.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE<strong>

"Hey, Hallie, want to go exploring with us?" Kairi called.

"Um... I'll catch up with you later." I said. "There's something I need to do."

"Okay."

As everyone ran off to the other side of the island, I walked onto the shore. I summoned Ultima Weapon to my side and pointed it in front of me. Light collected at the tip and shot a beam forward. A portal formed. After taking a deep breath, building up enough courage, I stepped through.

* * *

><p>"Roxas." I said.<p>

He turned to me and smiled. He looked so much like Ventus, and I recognized the similar gorgeous blue iris color that they shared with Sora.

"I'm surprised you still remember my name." Roxas said.

"It got stuck in my head." I said.

"Why are you here?"

"I... wanted to meet you." Roxas crossed his arms. "What?"

"What's the real reason why you came to me?"

I sighed. "Because I want to know."

Roxas raised his eyebrow.

"There are so many secrets hidden inside of me. I've tried countless times to piece things together, but my faulty memory always gets in my way, and nothing will make sense to me! I want to know everything: the connections, the ties, but most importantly, I want to know how I fit into all of this." I said. "I thought that this adventure would somehow lead me to some answers, and sure, I've gotten a few, but in the end, I have even more questions than what I started with. I want my memory back, and I want you to guide me through the past."

Roxas smiled. "That's a pretty big request... I'm not sure if you'll be able to handle the truth... I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle the truth again..."

"Again?"

Roxas reached out his hand.

"Where should we start?" he said.

I took his hand. "You were a pretty popular character throughout my journey. I'd like to learn about you."

Roxas was surprised, but then he stretched out his hand and a corridor of darkness opened. We walked through and into Twilight Town. I looked down and gasped as I realized that we were on the top of the clock tower.

"What are we-?" I said, but Roxas hushed me and pointed over in the near distance.

Four people sat on the clock tower ledge, all wearing black coats, three boys and one girl. One was Roxas and another was Axel. I gasped to see Callum sitting in between Roxas and the girl. The girl had short black hair and blue eyes.

"Who's the girl?" I said.

Roxas looked at the girl and a troubled look appeared on his face.

"I... don't remember..." Roxas said.

And yet, a voice popped into my head.

_Xion. Organization member XIV._

Xion said something, and Callum threw his head back and laughed. The rest of the Nobodies laughed, and through it, Xion and Callum looked at each other with smiles.

"They must've been really close." I said quietly.

The scene changed to Roxas holding Xion in front of the train station. Xion reached up and caressed Roxas's cheek. She said something and her hand went limp and fell back to her side. Roxas grasped her hand, and ice particles burst from them.

_**"No! Xion! Who else will I have ice cream with?!"**_

Xion turned to ice and faded away, leaving Roxas weeping on the ground. I felt a tear stream down my face, and I wiped it away in surprise. I looked at the real Roxas as a tear slid down his face as well. I squeezed his hand, and he snapped out of it. He wiped his cheek, confused, and cleared his throat. The scene changed.

I flinched as I stood in the midst of a huge and barren desert floor with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Keyblades wedged into the ground. In the distance, there were three people in Keyblade Armor holding Keyblades. There was a bright light and their armor was gone.

"Twelve years ago, there were three chosen Keyblade wielders." Roxas said.

We walked together towards them and I gasped when I got a clear view of them.

"Aqua. Terra." I said. "Ventus."

They spoke to each other in a melancholic tone. My eyes shifted to Ventus.

"Why does he look exactly like you?" I said.

"The correct question is why do _I_ look exactly like _him_?" Roxas said.

The scene changed and we were in another barren area, and I recognized it to be the place where I fought Terra's Lingering Will. I saw Ventus surrounded by Neoshadows. He looked around in a hysterical panic.

_**"Please don't do this, Master! I'm not strong enough!"**_

The Neoshadows attacked Ventus, knocking him out. An old man approached Ventus. He had a bald head and a silver goatee. He had pointed ears and yellows eyes that looked down at Ventus in disgusted disappointment.

_**"Feckless neophyte."**_he said as he kicked Ventus over onto his back.

I gasped. _I_ used that phrase before...

"That's Master Xehanort." Roxas said. "He had devised a dastardly scheme to rebuild the χ-blade, and Ventus was the key to getting it."

"The χ-blade... a mystical weapon capable of opening Kingdom Hearts. However, there was a great Keyblade War because everyone wanted to gain control of the Light and Kingdom Hearts. As a result, the χ-blade was shattered into twenty pieces: seven of light and thirteen of darkness." I said. I gasped.

"Yes. Xehanort desires to recreate the χ-blade, and with it unlock Kingdom Hearts and begin another Keyblade War."

I looked at the ground. "Why do I know this already?"

"Because you were taught this. By Xehanort."

"What?!" I stared at the old man with wide eyes. My hand traced the cords on my arm. "I... know him."

Xehanort stood over Ventus and summoned his Keyblade. He used it to extract the darkness from Ventus's heart. The darkness morphed into a human being.

"The pure darkness that was extracted from Ventus's heart created Vanitas." Roxas said. "However, it left Ventus's heart broken and damaged. Ventus was supposed to die... but then he met Sora."

"Huh?"

The scene changed. We stood on a Dive to the Heart platform. It was covered with pure light, and a section of the platform had been broken off, making it incomplete. We looked up to see Ventus fall down and land on the platform.

_**"I'm a brand new heart." a voice whispered.**_

_**"But this is- Why are you in my heart?" Ventus said.**_

_**"The light brought me. I saw it shining in the distance... and follow it here."**_

_**"Yeah. That was my light. But my heart is fractured. And now... the little I have left is slipping away."**_

_**"Then you should join your heart with mine."**_

_**"Huh?"**_

There was a shimmer of light and the platform slowly became whole.

_**"Now our hearts have touched. Nothing else will slip away." the voice said. "And one day... you'll be strong enough to win back the part that already did."**_

_**"Right. Thanks." Ventus said.**_

_**"It's time to wake up now. All we need to do is..."**_

_**"Open the door."**_Sora's and Ventus's voices intertwined as the light on the platform dispersed, revealing Ventus's Dive to the Heart platform.

"Ventus's and Sora's hearts connected, and Ventus was saved." Roxas said. "He greatly influenced my appearance when I was born, which is why I look like him."

The scene changed again back to the Keyblade Graveyard, where Ventus and the cloaked Vanitas fought. After the fight, Ventus was trapped by these creatures that looked to be Heartless, but the emblem on their bodies said otherwise. Vanitas stood before Roxas and his helmet began to melt away. I felt faint. Vanitas looked exactly like Sora. There were a few physical differences, with Vanitas' hair being black and his eyes were yellow, but he looked EXACTLY like Sora. I gulped in air, realizing that I stopped breathing.

"It's said that when Vanitas was first created, he didn't have a human face, but one of the creatures his negativity can create, Unversed. When Ventus connected his heart with Sora's, Sora filled the lost darkness that Vanitas took away. Not only did Sora touch Ventus's heart, but he also touched Vanitas's. And so, Vanitas took the physical appearance of Sora." Roxas said. I shuddered as I watched Vanitas walk and talk similarly like Sora.

The scene changed to Sora when he was about 15, standing in an unusual room with Donald, Goofy, and Riku, dressed in an organic bodysuit similar to Vanitas. Sora picked up a strange Keyblade that even I wasn't familiar with, raised it up, and he stabbed himself in the heart. As he faded away, a sleeping Kairi awoke. Sora emerged as a Heartless, but because of Kairi's pure heart, he returned back to his human self.

"Two Nobodies were born: me and Naminé." Roxas said. "Two nothings who were never supposed to exist."

"That's not true, Roxas." I said. "You are just as important as everyone else."

Roxas smiled. The scene changed, and we watched Roxas in Twilight Town, laughing and talking with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

"You've been through a lot." I said. "Having such a simple and peaceful life and then having everything taken away from you? I can't imagine how painful that must be."

"I'm not gonna lie, I was confused, but overall furious. I wondered why I of all people had all of this brought down on me... but once I had an understanding of things, I learned to accept who I am and return to Sora. He needs me as much as I need him. After all, we're two halves of the same thing: one can't live without the other." Roxas said. He looked off into the distance for a few moments, then returned his gaze to me. "That's enough about me. What's next?"

I looked down at the ground.

"Aqua ended up in the Realm of Darkness and Ventus fell into a coma and sleeps in the Chamber of Waking." I said. Roxas raised his eyebrow, wondering where I was going with this. "The only times I met Terra were when he spoke to me in the Organization's castle and gave me the Keyblade Armor, as well as when I fought his Lingering Will. What happened to Terra?"

Roxas looked at the ground then raised his hand. The scene changed to a raised plateau in the Keyblade Graveyard. Terra and Xehanort stood at the top.

_**"And now, Terra, it is time for the final union!" **_Xehanort cried.

He turned his Keyblade around and stabbed himself in the heart. He spoke as his heart floated up into the air and his body shimmered with light.

_**"And now it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!"**_

I clutched the side of my head as Xehanort's heart entered Terra's body. Xehanort's old body faded away into particles of light that drifted up into the sky. Terra summoned his armor, in hopes that it would protect him, but to no avail. It fell off into pieces. Terra-Xehanort looked down to the ground with an evil smile on his face. His brown hair was now silver and his blue eyes now yellow.

_**"This heart belongs again to darkness."**_

As Terra-Xehanort walked away, the area was consumed by a yellow chain barrier. He turned around and saw Terra's Keyblade Armor, Lingering Will, kneeling on the ground. He stood up and yanked his Keyblade, Ends of the Earth, from the ground.

_**"Your body submits, your heart succumbs-" **_Terra-Xehanort said. _**"So why does your mind resist?!"**_

The two fought, with Lingering Will being the victor. As Terra-Xehanort laid on the ground, Lingering Will returned to its kneeling position as a giant dome of light expanded and consumed them.

_**"Aqua, Ven..." Terra said. "One day, I will set this right."**_

I looked at the ground, brushing my fingers against the pauldron on my arm.

"Anything else?" Roxas said.

"It's time I finally learn about myself." I said. "Who am I? Where and why do I fit in with all of this?"

"Why don't you ask your memories? I've been steering you through my path, and now it's your turn to take the wheel. Your memories still there inside you, but darkness is keeping them captive. You must fight it to free yourself. Remember."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I groaned and clutched my head as pain coursed through my brain.

"Don't fight the pain." Roxas said. He removed my hands from my head and held them in his. "When you fight against the pain, you fight against your memories and prevent their freedom. Just breathe."

I look up at his ocean blue eyes and nodded slowly. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I felt the pain spread though my body, but the intensity faded quickly into nothing.

The scene turned black. I opened my eyes and gasped as images spilled out before me.

"Radiant Garden." I said.

Roxas nodded. "But this was twelve years ago."

I saw three little kids walking together, talking and giggling. There were two girls and one boy. One girl had auburn-red hair and blue eyes and wore a white dress. The boy had messy blonde hair and blue eyes and he wore a yellow shirt and blue shorts. The second girl had short brown hair and amber eyes. She wore a black t-shirt, a black overall dress with white polka dots, and she used a gold ribbon in her hair as a headband. As they walked, the girl with amber eyes stopped and looked down an alleyway as they walked past it.

_**"Hallie!"**__ the other girl called and my heart stopped. "Come on!"_

_"Uh... I'll catch up in a minute, guys." the girl said._

The girl stared cautiously down the alleyway. It was very dark, making it impossible to see past where the light touched. A foot emerged from the darkness and stepped out of the shadows. The foot was connected to an elderly man with no hair except for a white goatee and yellow eyes.

It was Xehanort. I expected the little girl to run away screaming, but instead a huge smile spread on her face and she ran over and hugged the man.

_"Grandpa Norty!" she cried._

GRANDPA?!

_"Hello, my dear." Xehanort said._

_"Grandpa, I haven't seen you in so long!" the girl said._

_"Indeed." Xehanort said. "Hallie, it is time for me to leave."_

_"What? Why?"_

_"It is of no importance. Do you recall the stories that I've told you of?"_

_"Yeah! Your stories are the greatest!"_

_Xehanort smirked. "I have one more story to tell you, my dear. The time has come that you learn of your legacy and your destiny."_

_Xehanort held out his hand and summoned his Keyblade. The girl looked at the weapon in wonder._

_"What is that, Grandpa?"_

_"This, my granddaughter, is __**the Keyblade. A mysterious yet powerful weapon capable of unlocking any link, any door, any heart."**_

_"Wow." the girl said with wide eyes. "And you have one?"_

_"Yes. __**Someday soon you yourself will receive a Keyblade. You will have the opportunity to become a Keyblade Master**__, just like your mother and I."_

I let out a choked sob. My mother was a Keyblade Master?

_"Grandpa, why are you so interested in Keyblades?"_

Something sparked in Xehanort's eyes.

_**"Long ago, there was a great and catastrophic event that took place called the Keyblade War. Thousands of Keyblade wielders clashed against one another for the power of the ultimate weapon, the χ-blade. The result of the war was brutal and devastating: darkness spread across the worlds and the lives of millions perished by their own unquenchable thirst for power. The χ-blade was shattered into twenty pieces: seven of light, thirteen of darkness. The χ-blade was the only weapon capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts." **__Xehanort said._

_"What's Kingdom Hearts?" the girl said._

_**"The heart of all worlds. A great source of power and wisdom. The heart of anything and everything that has ever existed." **__Xehanort gazed upon the little girl with a sinister smirk.__** "And I, Hallie, shall one day seize that power."**_

_The girl looked up at Xehanort in wonder._

_"Hallie." Xehanort said. __**"One day, you will receive the mystical power of the Keyblade. One day you will follow in my footsteps. One day, Kingdom Hearts will be ours."**_

_The girl smiled up at Xehanort and hugged him again._

_**"Hallie!"**__ a voice called. As the girl turned around, Xehanort walked back into the alleyway with that sinister grin that I would really enjoy smacking off of his face. The little boy came running over to her. "Come quick! Kairi's in trouble!"_

There was a scream, and the scene changed. As I looked, I saw the little girl with auburn-red hair that I realized was Kairi. She was running away from a horde of those unusual Heartless-like creatures. As the creatures jumped to attack, Aqua and King Mickey intercepted and destroyed the creatures. Aqua knelt down and talked to Kairi.

_"Kairi!" the boy and girl ran over. Aqua and Mickey's gaze shifted to the other girl._

_"Kairi, are you okay?" she said._

_"Yeah, I'm fine." Kairi said. She turned to Mickey and Aqua. "Thank you for saving me. C'mon, let's go find my grandma."_

_"Okay!"_

_We watched as Kairi and the boy ran off, but the girl with the amber eyes stayed. She walked up to Aqua and Mickey._

_"Are those Keyblades?" the girl asked, looking at their Keyblades, Rainfell and Star Seeker._

_"Yes." Aqua said. She and Mickey looked at each other in surprise._

_The girl beamed with pride. "My grandfather has one, too!"_

_Aqua flinched. "Your... grandfather? Mind if I knew his name?"_

_"Grandpa Norty! He's had one for a long, long time!"_

_Aqua smiled as if she was mistaken. As she studied the girl, her expression grew serious. She turned to Mickey._

_"Can you feel that?" Aqua said._

_"Yes." Mickey said. He scowled. __**"I can feel the light inside of her... but it is in danger."**_

_The girl turned to leave._

_"Wait." Aqua said._

_The girl turned around, curiosity twinkling in her eyes. Aqua reached out and touched the girl's heart._

_"I put a protection spell on you." Aqua said. __**"If there ever comes a time when you are lost in darkness, a heart of light will always come to save you."**_

_The girl smiled. "Thanks! Oh!" The girl reached up and removed the __**golden ribbon **__from her hair. "Here!"_

_"Oh... what's this for?"_

_"For good luck. If you ever lose something, I promise that one day you'll find it again."_

_Aqua gasped quietly, but then a smile spread across her face. She reached out and held the ribbon in her hands._

_"Thank you. I'm Aqua." she said._

_"C'mon, Kairi's grandma's waiting for us!" the boy called again._

_"I'm coming, Ren, hold on! Thanks again for helping Kairi. Goodbye, Aqua!" the little girl said before turning around and running away._

_"Wait!" Aqua called, but the girl was gone. "I don't even know your name..."_

But I knew. I knew it as the tears spilled down my face.

"I... remember. Radiant Garden was my home, and Ren and Kairi were my best friends. We did everything together; we were practically inseparable." I gulped. "And Master Xehanort... is my grandfather."

Roxas nodded. "You, Ren, and Kairi grew up together in Radiant Garden until the day it was swallowed up in darkness." I let out a sob. Roxas put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

There was a flash of light and the scene turned the exact opposite. I saw my young self, floating in the darkness in deep comatose.

"You were lost in darkness for two years." Roxas said. "During that time span, Xehanort used his dark powers to lock away the memories of your childhood."

I clenched my fist, but immediately unclenched them when a voice filled the air.

_"Hey, can you hear me?" a little boy called._ I gasped. It was Callum.

_"Who are you?" little me said._

There was another flash of light. We stood in the middle of a sandy courtyard. There was little girl me, now seven years old, laying on the ground unconscious. A tiny satyr and a scrawny man in a plain white toga stood over me. I gasped when I saw a flash of blonde next to the second man. Ventus stood next to the two. His Keyblade, Wayward Wind, was clutched in his hand as he stared at little girl me.

_**"What... what was that thing?!" **__the man said._

_**"An Unversed... saved her? But... why?"**__ Ventus said._

_**"Is she okay?"**__ the man said._

_**"She's breathing." **__the satyr said. __**"Lucky kid. She looks like she took a nasty spill."**_

_**"Let's get her inside."**_

_The man picked me up carefully. He and the satyr walked towards the opened doors of a giant building with two tall golden warrior statues at the front entrance. Ventus's eyes never fell away from me. When I disappeared into the vestibule, they dropped to the ground and he held his hand over his heart._

_**"What's this... feeling?"**__ he said quietly. He clenched his fist and shook his head. He walked inside and the doors slammed shut behind him._

"After Radiant Garden fell into darkness, I was taken to Olympus Coliseum." I said. I couldn't stop the fluttering in my heart.

Roxas nodded. "Yours and Kairi's childhood memories were locked away, as well as the townspeople's memories of you two and Ren."

"And Ren was taken to Atlantica, where he must've been raised by King Triton and Ariel." I said.

I remembered all those times where I tried to recall my old memories. It never worked, and I could only remember as far back as the pit of nothing I floated in, where I met the gypsy.

The gypsy. I gasped and looked up. The scene changed to the familiar darkness. I saw the table with tarot cards splayed out. The gypsy woman sat there with that warming smile that made all of my troubles flee from me. I could heard the sound of violins playing in the air and the sweet singing voice that calmed me.

"I... I don't believe it." I said to the gypsy woman. "...Mom?"

She couldn't see me, but my heart knew for certain it was her. I could see her bright amber eyes glistening with hope and her brown hair peeking through the fake wiry gray. I cried tears of joy.

"My mother's alive! She's really alive!" I said.

The scene changed back to Olympus Coliseum. We watched time frames of my life in the Coliseum. I saw myself when I was 8 and Phil and Hercules began training me to fight. Shortly afterwards, I met Callum, and then when I was 12 and he disappeared. Finally, it showed me when I was 15. I sat at the entrance stairs. Megara approached me and sat beside me.

_"Is something wrong, Hallie?" she asked._

_"I don't know... I just feel like there's something that I've been missing in my life. I only remember when I first came here, but nothing before." I looked at Megara. "Where do I really come from?"_

Megara opened her mouth, hesitant to say something, but suddenly the strange Heartless-like creatures popped up from the ground. A corridor of darkness opened, and a person stepped out. I felt the air in my throat stop and I choked a little.

It was Vanitas. His face was unmasked, revealing his replica features of Sora, and he had a smile on his face. He stretched out his hand and the creatures advanced towards me and Meg.

_"Meg, run!" I cried, pulling her up._

We ran into the lobby and out to the Coliseum arena. We split up, which proved which one the creatures were really after, for they all followed me. As I ran, I tripped on something and fell to the ground. The creatures jumped on me, one by one, until the darkness began to swallow me up. I thrashed around, but the darkness continued to consume me. I reached out, and I watched a hand take mine. I raised my eyebrow; it didn't look like it belonged to Callum. It was too much like a girl's hand. A light erupted that pierced the air. When it subsided, the creatures were gone, and I stood there with Chaos Ripper in my hand. I was confused and Vanitas was enraged as he stared at my Keyblade. He summoned his Keyblade, Void Gear.

_"She _is _in there." Vanitas scowled._

I charged towards him. We fought, Keyblade clanging against Keyblade, light power colliding with dark power. In the end, I knelt on the ground, panting.

_"What do you want from me?!" I cried._

_Vanitas smirked. __**"Not bad for an amateur..."**_ His voice was deeper and more bitter than Sora's, leaving me with uncomfortable chills. _"Maybe your old gramps was right."_

_Vanitas tossed something at me and a portal of darkness opened up behind him. He scowled at the ground, but his eyes showed a deep sense of pain._

_"You have made your heart a prison... but I will be the one who frees her." Vanitas said, clenching his fists. "See you soon, Hallie..."_

_"Hey, I'm not finished with you!" I cried. I stood up and ran towards Vanitas, but the portal closed. I was left there, curiously examining the Keyblade in my hand._

_He looked so angry when he saw Chaos Ripper..._ I thought. _Ahllixe. He knew her. Were they friends or something?_

My heart began to ache.

_No... it was so much more..._

"Xehanort foresaw your future and he knew of the light within you. So, he sent Vanitas after you. He wanted him to either have you succumb to the darkness... or kill you." Roxas said. "But Xehanort overlooked one crucial detail: you can't rewrite destiny. The encounter with Vanitas only guaranteed you becoming a Keyblade wielder and it set your destiny in motion."

A little later, the Coliseum was visited by three people: Sora, Donald, and Goofy. As they trained with Phil and Hercules, Meg and I hid behind the bleachers.

_"Why don't you go and say hi?"_ Megara said.

I peeked over at Sora, who was younger and dressed in red, white, black, and blue clothing. I was dressed in the exact same outfit I wore during my second visit to Beast Castle: the same white and gold dress, the same gold gladiator sandals, and daisies woven into my hair. My brown hair was longer and wavy, ending down at my elbows, and it was free of my classic waterfall braid. My eyes sparkled with curiosity and suspicion.

_"I don't know, Meg..." I said, but Meg pushed me out and into the open. I looked around in a panic and turned to run away._

_"Hey, Hallie!" Hercules called._

_I glared at Meg and she smiled and motioned me towards them. I turned around and slowly walked over to the group._

_"Hallie, meet Sora, Donald, and Goofy." Hercules said._

_"Hi." Sora said, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you."_

_I hesitated, but I took his hand and shook it. When I looked at Sora, I didn't see him, but I saw Vanitas instead. I gasped and yanked my hand back. I stepped away._

_"Is there something wrong?" Sora said, but my eyes still saw Vanitas. I ran away back to Megara._

_"Hallie, what's the matter?" Meg asked._

_"He... looked exactly like that boy that attacked us." I said, panting and shaking._

_"What? There's no way this could be the same person! He seems like a nice boy."_

Regardless of Meg's assurance, I never came in contact with Sora and the others since. Finally, I watched myself at when I was 16, only months ago. I stood at the bottom of the Coliseum stairs. I held up an item, which I recalled to be what Vanitas gave me when I first met him. It was an orange, transparent orb with two Keyblades crossed together in an X. I held it out in front of me and a series of dark beams exploded out of the orb. They surrounded me, and my clothes changed.

I was now a sleeveless shirt with a white strap over the left shoulder, patterned with black, red, white, and pale blue wide stripes, with an open, red, sleeveless Victorian Steampunk tailcoat. I wore midthigh, dark denim shorts that were cuffed and slightly distressed, dark brown buckle boots that reached up to my shins, with red shin-high socks peeking up at the top, and a skinny, black, studded belt hooked around my shorts. The beams of darkness traveled to my right arm and morphed into brown leather cords that coiled around from my wrist to my elbow. My hair became straight and it was cut shorter, resting at my shoulder blades, with some hair laying over my shoulders. A waterfall braid wove together at the back of my head.

It was like looking in a mirror.

I summoned Chaos Ripper and pointed it in front of me. A beam of light shot out from the tip and a portal formed. I took a deep breath and looked back at the Coliseum one last time.

_**"I'm sorry,"**__ I whispered, __**"but I need to do this."**_

_I stepped through the portal. The last brief moments showed me sitting down at the gypsy's table._

"The orb Vanitas gave you locked away your memories of Olympus Coliseum and those who ever came in contact with you. Including Hercules, Megara, Phil, and even Sora, Donald, and Goofy." Roxas said.

"Callum retained his memories because he's my Nobody." I said. "Xehanort locked away my memories, as well as all memories of me to those I knew when I was young. But what about those who still remember me despite all that happened, like Ren, Aqua, and Mickey?"

"I guess Xehanort's darkness couldn't touch their hearts."

Standing in a blanket of darkness, my whole body clicked together as my memories connected and revealed themselves.

"I can't believe it." I said. "Does anyone else know of this? Will Kairi and my friends ever be able to get their memories of me back?"

Roxas shook his head. "I'm not sure. I don't know if it's possible..."

I took a shaky breath.

"Is this how it's going to be for me? Just a... a memory in the darkness? " I said. "It's like I never existed. I... am nothing."

Roxas tensed. He let go of my hand and faced me with a scowl.

"You're wrong." he said. "You might not be in the memories of those from your childhood, but you are in their hearts, which is a place that not even Xehanort can touch. You'll always be with them, as well as your friends now."

In one big scene, my adventure spilled out around me, like a surround system of images: when I met Sora, Donald, and Goofy, when I was reunited with Callum, arriving at Destiny Islands, and everything in between. I experienced again the tears, sorrows, and struggles, but also the laughter, joy, and friendship. The very last scene was of me and Sora and the last thing to be unlocked in our journey: my heart. New tears filled to my eyes, but these were tears of joy.

"Thank you, Roxas..." I said. "Thank you for everything."

I reached up and kissed Roxas's cheek. He flinched a little in surprise, but it melted in a warm smile.

"Thank you, Hallie." he said. "You've helped me understand you as well. Your heart is strong. Maybe... you can save us."

I smiled.

"Oh, that's right!" I cried, reaching into my pocket. I pulled out the photo and handed it to Roxas. "Riku gave this to us. I had a feeling it was important to you, so I held onto it until I was able to give it back."

Roxas took the photo and gazed at it with a small, sweet smile on his face. He looked at me, his eyes twinkling.

"Thank you." he said.

Something about the way he looked at me made my heart skip a beat. I remembered when I met Ventus in that chamber. _They look so much alike._ I nodded and smiled as my cheeks grew hot. Roxas placed a hand on my shoulder and we were bathed in light.

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes to see a blue sky with sunlight showering down on everything. I clenched my fist to feel the warm shore sand of Destiny Islands. Sora knelt beside me and hovered over me.<p>

"Sora." I said.

"Geez, we go exploring for five minutes, and you decided to take a nap?" Sora said. He studied my face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, sitting up.

"Are you sure?" Sora reached up and wiped something off my cheek. "You're crying."

I touched my cheek and realized that I was. I looked down to see the leather cords wrapped around my right arm. I sighed and looked at Sora. I reached out and wrapped my arms around him. Sora was a little confused, but he returned the hug.

"Let's just say... I'm finally starting to understand things now." I said. I pulled back so I could look into his eyes. "You know, you're really special."

"I already know that, but thank you." Sora said.

I laughed and he helped me up. We walked together along the shoreline.

_"No wonder why it chose you..." _a voice chuckled. _"Whatever. Legacy or not, we'll truly see if you are truly fit for your title..."_

I stopped and turned around, but nothing was there.

"Is something wrong?" Sora asked.

But when I turned and looked at him, I didn't see Sora. I saw _his_ black hair and yellow eyes that glowed with revenge. I gasped and my body urged me to let go and run. But I stopped myself.

_Never again._

I squeezed Sora's hand and grinned.

"No. Everything's exactly how it's supposed to be." I said.

Sora and I continued walking, hand in hand.

* * *

><p>There is a fine line between dreams and reality. But when the two combine together, that's when things get really crazy.<p>

And I'm okay with that.

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**AHH! ****That's that! A Memory in the Darkness is officially done! But Hallie's adventures are _far _from over! I've got so much more in store!**

**Did you really think I'd put so much effort into this epic adventure and end it here? NO, SIR!**

**Thank you all, ****SO much, for reading! I love you with all my heart! Remember to review, and _stay tuned_!**

* * *

><p><strong>Connections of the bolded text are in the following chapters:<strong>

**- Chapter 1: Tarot Cards**

**- Chapter 2: Familiarity**

**- Chapter 8: Meg-Mega-Trouble**

**- Chapter 20: Ansem's Computer**

**- Chapter 23: A Ticking Bomb**

**- Chapter 46: A Mere Shell**

**- Chapter 47: Promise Me**

**Connections are also in the following games:**

**- Birth By Sleep**

**- 358/2 Days**


	56. The Next Act Opens

"Hey, can you hear me?"

"Remarkable. You look just like her."

"Good tidings, friends. Today marks another momentous occasion. Not too long ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming two new comrades into the Organization. I am pleased to announce another who has been chosen to wear the coat."

"Kingdom Hearts is _infinitely_ more than the contraption the Organization is building! Its wisdom and power could squash all of them in a blink of an eye! They... they don't deserve it!"

"Special...? Isn't that just another way of saying that I'm a mistake?"

"Indeed. He is rebelling. He is showing the true nature from which he was born."

"There's a reason Xion, Roxas, and I are so important to the Organization. I have to know! I have to get Hallie back!"

"Number XV. The χ of Destiny. A Keyblade wielder."

"Welcome home, Callum."

* * *

><p><strong>The famous OC trio: Hallie, Callum, and Ahllixe. Hallie has plenty more time in the spotlight, but what about the counterparts of the young Keyblade wielder? Learn about their stories. Learn about the connections they hold. Learn how it all ties together.<strong>

**Callum's story begins Monday, June 15th.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hidden truths...<strong>_

_**Images of their backs, preserved in memory...**_

_**Two who were never meant to meet...**_

_**All the pieces lie where they fell...**_

"Mickey. Please summon Sora hither. Riku as well."

"Of course... but why?"

"To show us the Mark of Mastery."

"I'm not going to lose you. Oh man, I'm going to get in _so _much trouble for this..."

"Now, no matter where I go, I'll always be with you."

"Hello... Grandpa Norty."

"Poor Sora. How broken his heart will be when he finds out the truth about you."

"I'll always fight for you. I promise."

_**Their light of hope.**_

_**Their burning beacon in the night.**_

_**Countless lives tied together through the soul of one.**_

_**Trapped within the chains of fate's bondage.**_

_**Where they wait for their savior.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Join Hallie as her adventure takes her and her friends into Dream Drop Distance. The next act opens Friday, June 12th.<strong>


	57. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It's been a year since the beginning of the epic story that started it all. Grab a drink and some popcorn; this is going to be a _long_ chapter.

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><p>PRONUNCIATION GUIDE (in case you've actually been pronouncing names wrong):<p>

- Hallie - rhymes with Sally

- Callum - Kay-lum (So, if you've been pronouncing it as 'Kah-lum', you're WRONG.)

- Ahllixe - Alex

* * *

><p><strong>TRIVIA:<strong>

**1)** Hallie, Callum, and Ren were originally going to be self-inserts.

**2)** In the original ending, Hallie and Callum were supposed to end up together. I dreamed about it for MONTHS. One day, I was struck by an earth-shattering thought: "What if I completely turn the story around to where Hallie ends up with Sora instead?" And thus, a very important plot line of "A Memory in the Darkness" was born.

**3) **Ahllixe is the only character in my Kingdom Hearts series that is a left-handed Keyblade wielder. She is also the only one where her Keyblade takes form in a different object when it is not in use (the black heart charm).

**4) **Hallie's battle stance was originally inspired by Monica's battle stance from "Dark Cloud 2". I changed my mind shortly after. If you want to visually have an idea of what Hallie's battle stance is, there is a glimpse in Kingdom Hearts 2 when Sora, Riku, and Kairi are fighting against the Heartless and Kairi first gets a Keyblade. The stance she strikes is very close to Hallie's battle stance.

**5) **The original trio (appealing to the two guys, one girl theme that Kingdom Hearts likes to have) in my story was Hallie, Callum, and Ren, but at the time they were all self-inserts (and for a twelve-year-old at the time, I was _obsessed_ with self-inserting). Once the idea of Ahllixe was born, the trio changed.

**6) **"Ursula's Revenge" (chapter 34) is the only chapter in "A Memory in the Darkness" whose title is not derived from a phrase from it. It is the title of Atlantica's fourth part in the actual game.

**7) **(SLIGHT SPOILERS) Parts of Hallie's new outfit in "Blessed to Repeat" were inspired by Serah from Final Fantasy XIII.

**8) **Callum's outfit in A Memory in the Darkness is an inspired combination of Terra in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and Noel from Final Fantasy XIII-2.

**9) **Ahllixe's outfit and personality were inspired by Lumina from Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

**10) **Hallie knows the names of all of the Organization members because of Callum and his time as a member of Organization XIII. However, Hallie personally knows any person that has a strong connection to Xehanort or herself (Xigbar, Saix, Xemnas, Ansem the Wise, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua).

**11) **Whenever Sora used his Drive Forms, it was to protect Hallie or it was at her request.

**12) **Since the story was first published, it took A Memory in the Darkness exactly 6 months to reach 10,000 views and a little over 4 months to reach 20,000 views. Posting this today, the story has 21,810 views. You guys are awesome!

**13) **Callum is the only Nobody in my Kingdom Hearts fan fiction (and possibly ever?) whose name does not have the Recusant's Sigil (or an X) in their name. It could probably be assumed that the members of Organization XIII were given their names by Xemnas. However, Callum did not receive his name from Xemnas; he received it from Hallie. It makes more sense considering the similarities in their names (six letters, two syllables, both have "all" in their names. They even sound kind of similar.).

* * *

><p>There have been some moments throughout the story with important meaning behind them. They are very small moments, and I think they might've been overlooked by many of you. To make up for that, I will reveal to you those moments and the hidden meanings behind them. I'll share the chapter, the passage(s) containing the hidden meaning, then explain. With the development of my stories, there are also some <em>new<em> secret meanings in this story that you and I are both learning together (so if you _definitely_ didn't catch some of them, it's possible that even I didn't catch it either. Hooray for both of us being clueless!). Some things are secret meanings, some things are little facts and tidbits, and some things are spoilers for future events that will take place in stories that are happening now and are already completed (namely The χ of Destiny and Nightmares and Daydreams. Read those if you haven't. THEY ARE PLOT-ESSENTIAL.). Some things will be explained in a later story, and if so, I'll tell you. *******This contains SPOILERS to the actual games and possibly future events in my stories. I'm not warning you about spoilers in A Memory in the Darkness because you should already know about the story.***

- Chapter 2: Familiarity

**"Oopsy-daisy!" the man said. He chuckled. "I guess I underestimated you. I thought you'd charge at me head on with that Keyblade of yours, but here you are instead shaking in your boots like a little baby. I guess even with her magic, she couldn't cure your cowardice."**

*SPOILERS* The man saying this, which is Xigbar, is taunting Hallie a little concerning her missing memory. In Birth By Sleep, Braig, his Somebody, was one of Master Xehanort's cohorts. In Callum's story, The χ of Destiny, Callum and Xigbar become natural enemies because of their Somebodies, and Xigbar also teases Callum with having knowledge of his past. The last sentence references to when Hallie met Aqua when she was a child, and Aqua cast a protection spell on her that protects her heart from the darkness.

**"Guess you finally got your big girl pants on now." the man said. I could hear the smirk in his tone. "Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?"**

**"Remind us?" Sora said. He glared at him and gripped his Keyblade tighter.**

**The man let out a hearty laugh. "That's RIGHT! He used to give me that same exact look!"**

**Why did I feel like I knew who he was talking about? My face felt hot and I reached up and covered my cheek with my hand. The man turned to me and his hidden smirk deepened.**

**"Oh, **_**now **_**I get what he was talking about." he said. "Boy, this is a doozy..."**

The mysterious person Xigbar was referencing to was Ventus. The reason behind Hallie's reaction and Xigbar's comment about it will be explained in a future story.

- Chapter 3: A Vital Role

**"A true relationship is when you can tell each other anything and everything. No secrets and no lies." Yen Sid smiled. "In the end, you'll know which people really love you. They're the ones who see you for who you are and no matter what, always find a way to be at your side."**

Yen Sid hints to the difference in Hallie's relationship with Callum and her relationship with Sora. Callum is very secretive throughout the story because of who he is.

**I walked over and flopped on my bed. As I let out a deep breath, I heard a soft thud against the floor. I glanced over and aimlessly felt the ground until my fingers bumped into something. I picked it up and brought the object to my face.**

**It was very small and fit in the palm of my hand. I slowly sat up and held it pinched between my thumb and index finger. It was black charm with a heart at the top and a sharp-pointed cross directly underneath. The creases of the charm were lined with a silvery-white. Connected to the charm was a link of small chains.**

**I stared at the charm with confused curiosity. I've never seen this before, and yet it intrigued me greatly. Just holding it caused my brain to tingle.**

_**This is important.**_** my subconscious said. **_**I need to hang on to this.**_

The identity and importance of this charm will be explained in a future story. If you already figured out what it is, good for you. There's a clue in the next passage.

- Chapter 11: How Could We Refuse?

**I reached up and played with the charm around my neck.**

**"That's a cool-looking charm." Sora said. "Where'd you get it?"**

**I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't know."**

**"It's weird... I feel like I've seen that symbol before."**

**"Really? Where?"**

**Sora shook his head. "I don't remember. Maybe I dreamt it up once when I was a kid. I don't know."**

What game do you know of that features Sora _when he was a kid_? This conversation should give a _big_ hint to the origin of Hallie's charm.

- Chapter 16: Split Down The Middle

**As soon as we entered this world, I knew things were going to be weird. I looked at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who dressed as fictional horror creatures: Sora as a vampire, Donald as a mummy, and Goofy as a Frankenstein. I looked down at my clothes. I was split down the middle, my right side in all white clothing and my left side in all black clothing. I wore a one-sleeve shirt that wrapped around my body like gauze. My right arm had a bell bottom sleeve and my left arm had no sleeve at all. When it came to my pants, my right leg wore white lace shorts and my leg wore black tattered capri pants that came down to my knee. My right foot had a white ballet slipper with ribbon curling up to and tied around my shin and my left foot had a studded black combat boot.**

**"Whoa, Hallie." Sora said. "Since when did you have two different colored eyes?"**

**"Huh?" I said.**

**I walked over to a puddle nearby and leaned over it. My eyes and hair sported a "split down the middle" style as well: my right eye remained in its normal color, amber, but my left eye's color was blood red. My hair's part shifted to the middle of my scalp. The right side of my hair was my regular brown color, but the left side of my hair was blond. A pair of wings were attached to my back. My right wing was white and strong with luscious and beautiful feathers, but my left one was black and shriveled up with rotting black feathers that I didn't want to touch for fear of them crumpling in my hands. I concluded that I was a half-light, half-dark angel.**

Hallie's "split down the middle" style represents Hallie's counterparts. Her right side, the light angel side, represents Callum, and her left side, the dark angel side, represents Ahllixe. However, in Halloween Town, Callum and Ahllixe are dressed in reverse: Callum dressed like the dark angel and Ahllixe dressed like the light angel. It is shown in chapter 37.

- Chapter 19: The Boy At The Plaza

**I glanced at Sora and I backed away in shock. The person that stood there was not Sora. He had spiky, golden blond hair. He wore a black, high-collared shirt with another one over it, unzipped and half-white, half-black. He wore caprice pants that ballooned out with shades of black, white, and gray. He wore bits of dull green and blue armor on his body, one section underneath his jacket, a pauldron on his left bicep, and his shoes. He had a wristband with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern and two crisscrossing straps on his chest with an unusual heart-shaped symbol on the center.**

**"Sora?!" I heard Donald cry, yet he, as well as everyone else, no longer stood beside me. The world around us disappeared.**

**The boy turned his attention from the gem to me and smiled. I stepped back.**

**"Who... are you?" I said.**

**But I knew those deep blue eyes that glistened in the sunlight. I knew **_**him**_**. I gulped in air, realizing that had I stopped breathing.**

**"Is it really you?" I said automatically, and I gasped and touched my charm.**

_**What's going on?!**_

**"Hallie, are you okay?" Goofy said.**

**I shook my head vigorously, and my friends appeared around me once again, their eyes on me. Goofy scratched his head. The blue gem in Sora's hand started to shimmer and it lifted out of his hands and above us. We traveled to the heart of the world and sealed the keyhole. Returning back to reality, I bowed my head in quiet, and confused, thoughtfulness.**

The person Hallie saw instead of Sora was _not_ Roxas. It was Ventus. Her reaction to seeing him will be explained in a future story.

**I unclipped my chain necklace and dangled it in front of my face. I traced my eyes along the creases of my black charm.**

_**Wait a minute...**_

**An intense flash of pain struck my brain, and I gasped as I dropped my necklace. I stepped back and used the wall to balance myself.**

_**That boy... he had the exact same symbol on his clothes.**_** I growled and slapped my fists against the sides of my head. **_**BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!**_

Again, another _HUGE_ hint to the origin of Hallie's charm.

- Chapter 23: A Ticking Bomb

**"I don't know. Erased memory, remember?"**

**Mickey stared at me and I saw puzzle pieces fitting together behind his eyes.**

Hallie met Mickey when she lived in Radiant Garden. However, because of Xehanort locking away her memory, she didn't recognize him. This moment was Mickey realizing why Hallie didn't remember him.

**"You are destined to be one of the seven guardians of light"**

I want you to remember this statement, because this is the last time Hallie will be mentioned as a "guardian of light". The phrasing from now on is subtle, but there is a _huge _difference in meaning.

**Mickey walked over and placed his hand over mine. "People are counting on you, Hallie. Callum's counting on you."**

*SPOILERS* Mickey learns about Callum during The χ of Destiny.

_**"Let all that anger out... Give your heart over to darkness!"**_

_**"Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you!"**_

_**"Let your whole heart blacken with anger!"**_

_**"And now it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!"**_

All of these are direct quotes from Xehanort in Birth By Sleep, said to Terra when Xehanort was trying to lure him into the darkness.

- Chapter 24: You Understand Nothing

**Axel's cool composure faltered. My anger converted to genuine curiosity. I felt like this was the only Organization XIII member I didn't despise.**

Hallie feels no contempt towards Axel because of the friendship he and Callum had while they were members of Organization XIII.

**"You were raised well. You are smarter than I thought you were." Saix said. "However, you understand nothing at all..."**

Saix is referring to Hallie's upbringing in the first two sentences. Throughout her childhood, Master Xehanort taught her many things concerning Kingdom Hearts, the Keyblade, the Keyblade War, etc. However, because of her locked memory, she still retains this knowledge but she doesn't know how she received it. In the third sentence, Saix is referring to something much deeper that will be explained in a future story.

**Why does he know Callum? Why does **_**everyone **_**know about him?**

Follow along with The χ of Destiny and you'll figure that out by yourself.

**"I've been looking for you for... for so long! For **_**four years**_**!" I said. "Why?! Why did you leave?!"**

**"I had to."**

**"Huh?" I pulled back and wiped away my tears. "What do you mean?"**

**"I... had some troubles when I was with you." He noticed the look of horror on my face. "I-I don't mean it like that. I... was having troubles with the darkness."**

**"What?" I said. **_**Just like Riku...**_

**Callum raised his hands a little and stared at them.**

**"The darkness... it began to seize my heart. I tried to ignore it, but it... grew stronger... I was afraid that if I didn't do anything, I would end up hurting you." he said.**

_**That sounds awfully familiar...**_

**"You would never do that." I said, placing my hand over his.**

**"That's what I thought, but I didn't want to risk anything... so I... left."**

**Callum's hesitated explanation and refusal to meet my eyes unsettled me.**

This is not the reason Callum left. Callum was not the one having issues. The real story will be revealed later on in The χ of Destiny.

**I stared at the boy standing next to Hayner and Pence. It wasn't who I saw at Twilight Town, but he looked exactly like him, with the exception of slightly different clothing. But I recognize those ocean blue eyes anywhere.**

This is a clue that the person Hallie saw at Twilight Town's Plaza wasn't Roxas (if you thought that. Admit it, you most likely did.).

- Chapter 26: Doused in Gasoline

**I stepped back next to Callum, who locked himself in a staring contest with the man with paled skin and fear in his eyes. The Organization member smirked.**

The most awkward of reunions between former Organization comrades.

**"Why does everyone in the Organization know my name?!" I cried.**

Oh, Hallie, you ignorant little child.

**I breathed heavily and turned to Callum. For a moment, I thought he was staring at me, but tracing his eyes, I found that he was staring at my Keyblade.**

**"Where did you... get that?" Callum said. His tone wasn't so much curious, but more frightened.**

**"I've had this since... um, I can't remember." I said, holding out Chaos Ripper. Callum scooted away. "Is something wrong?"**

**"Uh... no, no..." Callum scrambled to his feet.**

Callum is frightened by the sight of Chaos Ripper because he knows who it really belongs to.

**Sora shot out his hand, just missing mine, and grabbed the leather cords on my arm.**

**My body filled with a burning pain, like my insides were doused in gasoline and lit them on fire. I clawed at my arm, screaming bloody murder. Sora widened his eyes in horror. I summoned Chaos Ripper in my left hand. I took the butt of my Keyblade and smashed it into Sora's hand. He cried out and let go of me. I fell to the ground, landing on my feet, but I quickly collapsed to my knees and clutched my arm. I took deep, groaning breaths as my skin felt like it was melting off.**

This will not be the last time Hallie experiences such wretched pain from her mysterious cords.

- Chapter 26: Stay With Me

**"The pain you must've gone through... and yet you kept fighting just to find me. And where was I? Hanging around a giant castle for four years, doing nothing but be pathetic.**

Callum was actually not with the Organization for four years. He wasn't even with them for _one_ year.

- Chapter 28: A Pain In My Tuchus

**I dove forward and caught the statue before it hit the ground. The Dusks piled on top of me.**

**"Hey! Get... off...!" I cried.**

**As if the Nobodies heard me, one by one, they rolled off of me and disappeared.**

**"Huh?" I said.**

**I looked at Callum, who stood before me without his Keyblade drawn. He reached out his hand.**

**"You okay?" he said.**

**"Yeah..." I hesitated, then took his hand and stood up.**

The Nobodies in Organization XIII can control the regular Nobodies. Callum was able to command the Dusks to get off Hallie.

**"Fail miserably and witness himself get shown up by a couple of Key brats and their dorky sidekicks."**

**Vanitas crossed his arms. "Speaking of Key..."**

**The girl scowled and glared at him with glowing red eyes. "I'll get it back. You can bet your sweet Shadow I will."**

Ahllixe was talking about her Keyblade. When she was merged with Hallie, Hallie took away her Keyblade, End of Pain (and when she was using it, it 'degraded' to Chaos Ripper).

- Chapter 29: A Real Hero

**I stared at the images. In the sky, Goofy and Donald stood alongside me. But then I saw another person standing in between me and Donald. Hallie. Her image twinkled brightly in the sky, putting all the other stars to shame.**

**"The stars are sure beautiful tonight, huh?" Callum said beside me.**

**I smiled to myself. "Yeah..."**

_Both_ Callum and Sora were referring to Hallie's constellation in this moment.

- Chapter 30: Savvy?

**"Some say Jack Sparrow's the worst pirate ever to sail the Spanish Main." Will said.**

**"No one could really mean that." Elizabeth said.**

**"Right. We know he's the best."**

**"I hope we'll get to see him again." Sora said.**

**"Who are you guys talking to?" I said.**

**"Oh, uh, nobody."**

I guess you could consider this moment as breaking the fourth wall.

- Chapter 37: Beautiful Mind

**"Yes, all that poor puppet wanted was a heart." Santa said.**

**As everyone watched Jack fly off on Santa's sleigh, I stared at the experiment.**

**"A puppet that wanted a heart..." I said.**

**I felt compelled to glance at Callum. I turned just in time to see tears begin their descent down his cheeks. He bowed his head.**

**"She never had a chance..." he whispered.**

Guess who Callum was talking about. Go on, guess.

**"The one and only Keyblade wielder likes a girl?" I said. "Pinch me, I must be dreaming!"**

**Sora smiled at the ground.**

**"Yeah. She's my best friend." Sora said. "I've known her ever since I was little. I got separated from her and Riku when our island disappeared. And now..."**

**"I'm sorry, Sora." I said.**

**"Remember, Sora, it's not about the gift. It's what in your heart!" Donald said.**

**"My heart..." Sora said.**

**Sora stared at Sally and Jack with a warm smile on his face. As he watched them, his smile fell flat and he had the most flabbergasted look on his face.**

**"Huh?" he said.**

**"Is something wrong, Sora?" I said.**

**Sora stared at me, blinked a few times, then looked away quickly.**

**"Oh, um... nothing..." he said.**

This was a very important moment for Sora; the moment he realized he was starting to fall for Hallie. During the second visit to Halloween Town, Sora sees himself dancing with Kairi in place of Jack and Sally (like in the actual game). However, a few seconds later, the vision suddenly changes, and Kairi has been replaced by Hallie, hence his sudden change from dreaminess to confusion.

**There was silence. The girl turned around to see Vanitas staring at her.**

**"Not to point out the obvious, but you look exactly like..." The look on Vanitas's face trouble the girl.**

**"Vanitas." she said.**

**Vanitas shook his head vigorously in attempt to snap him out of his reverie.**

**"We need to go. Now." the girl said coldly. She summoned a portal of darkness.**

**"Right." Vanitas glanced away momentarily before his eyes shifted to the girl again. "I'm sorry."**

**The girl turned to Vanitas. "It's okay. I know it's not you."**

**She smiled at him, but that only seemed to heightened the look in his yellow eyes. Her smile faded.**

**"Come on." she said. Her voice cracked from the panicked anger in her stomach.**

The emotions displayed from Vanitas towards Ahllixe in this moment aren't his emotions, but Sora's (since they are connected and especially since Ahllixe has the appearance of Hallie in this world). Again, another moment of Sora realizing his feelings for Hallie.

- Chapter 39: Home

**As I took another taste of the ice cream, something flashed in my mind. I saw a big clock tower protruding a sunset sky and the sound of laughter piercing the air.**

**I snapped back into reality and stared at my ice cream. I glanced up at my friends, but Callum caught my eye the most. He stared at his ice cream intensely, as if it did something that greatly offended him. He looked down and opened his other hand, revealing a yellow and blue thalassa shell. He clenched his hands into tight fists, and while Scrooge looked away, he whipped around and threw the ice cream in the other direction. It hit a wall and splattered on impact. The blue ice dripped down into a puddle. Callum turned around and met my surprised eyes. His expression softened immediately and he turned his head away, shoving the shell back into his pocket.**

Follow along with The χ of Destiny and you'll figure that out by yourself.

- Chapter 42: Lifelong Friends

**"You have poured so many memories into me... given me so much... that I feel like I'm about to overflow." I said. "I'm glad I got to meet you. Oh... and of course, Donald and Goofy, too. And Callum. You're all my best friends."**

*SPOILERS* Adapted for Hallie's situations, but this is a direct quote from Xion in 358/2 Days before the final battle between her and Roxas.

- Chapter 44: An Embodiment of Armor

_**"I can feel it... We have met before..."**_

**The pounding in my head doubled, but I forced myself to ignore it.**

**"Yes... we have..." The tone of my voice was strangely calm. "But where? Tell me, please."**

_**"Hall... Ahlli..."**_

**"Yes, yes. My name is Hallie."**

It's supposed to sound like the Lingering Will was saying Hallie's name. However, he tried to say Hallie's name (Hall...) and Ahllixe's name (Ahlli...).

_**"No... not... Xehanort... but... I see. Your heart... is strong..."**_** the male calmly said.**

The Lingering Will recognized that Hallie was not Xehanort, but he did realize that Hallie did have a deep connection to him (you know, her being his granddaughter).

- Chapter 46: See You Later

**I looked down at the photo of the gang. As I stared at Roxas, an image appeared in my mind. It was the same one that I had before during our second visit to Hollow Bastion. I saw the clock tower and the sound of laughter. I realized that I recognized that clock tower. It was the one here, in Twilight Town! The image zoomed in to a ledge on the clock tower. I saw four people dressed in black Organization XIII coats. I didn't see any faces, but I saw flashes of yellow, black, red, and brown hair. The four people held something in their hands: ice cream.**

**I snapped back into reality.**

**"Sea-Salt ice cream!" Callum and I said at the same time, my response like an exclamation while his sounded dry. I side-glanced at Callum, who stared forward at the computer.**

*SLIGHT SPOILERS* Hallie was experiencing one of Callum's memories in this moment. Callum's reaction to the memory was a result of the end of The χ of Destiny.

**"Hallie, I love you too. I've loved you ever since I met you. Everyday, my feelings for you grow stronger, and when I left, it hurt to be without you." Callum said. He laid a hand over his chest. "But someone else has captured my heart... someone I love very much, who completed my existence. But one by one, the lives of my friends were ruined by the hands of Organization XIII. She was taken away from me. I'm... the only one who remembers her."**

*SLIGHT SPOILERS* Again... WHO DO YOU THINK CALLUM WAS TALKING ABOUT?

**"I might not be the person you're destined to be with, but when he does come along, and I know it will be very soon, you'll understand." Callum said. "Your key... he is someone who opens your eyes to things in ways you'd never imagine. He is always there for you no matter what and he does everything he can to be at your side. He makes you truly happy. He makes you laugh when you're sad, smile when you cry, and hope when it is nowhere to be found. Even if it means putting his life on the line, he protects you and cares for you. But most of all, he loves you more deeply and truly than I'd ever be able to."**

Callum was talking about Sora (duh).

**"You kids be good." Axel said. He turned to me, smiled, and slowly reached out to touch my hand. "Take care of them, please."**

*SPOILERS* During The χ of Destiny, Callum and his friends learn a little about the importance of Hallie and Sora- about the connections between Sora and Hallie and the important roles they have. Axel was referring to all of his friends when he said this to Hallie: namely Callum and Roxas, but it also includes Xion (but Axel doesn't remember her).

- Chapter 47: But A Mere Shell

**"So, you finally made it." the girl said, approaching me. "About time. I've been waiting for you."**

This line Ahllixe says is a direct quote from Riku in Kingdom Hearts, when Sora and Riku meet in Hollow Bastion (right before Riku takes away Sora's Keyblade).

**"I am- but a mere shell."**

Another direct quote. Xemnas says this line after Sora fights him in Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix.

- Chapter 49: A Conclusion of Something

**"You've really put Organization XIII in a pickle. I guess that must be why the Keyblade chose you two. But MAN, did they pick duds this time." Xigbar said. "You don't look like you're half the hero the others were-"**

**Xigbar's gaze zeroed in on the pauldron on my arm. He gasped and growled.**

**"You little witch." Xigbar said. "No matter how hard he tries to bury you in darkness, you and your stupid little friends just won't give up!"**

Xigbar is referring to Xehanort's many attempts to try and destroy Hallie, but each time his plans were thwarted by Aqua, Ventus, and Terra (respectively, according to this story).

**"Catch'ya later, Hallie." Xigbar said. "Tell your boyfriend I said hi."**

Xigbar is talking about neither Sora or Callum. This will be explained in a future story.

- Chapter 51: My Friends Are My Power

_**Fight it, Hallie!**_** a male voice cried in my head.**

_**The darkness can't have you!**_** a female voice said.**

_**Hallie, please, don't give in! I need you!**_** That voice... My heart skipped a beat.**

These pleas were from Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, respectively. Aqua's plea was a direct quote from Birth By Sleep when she sacrificed herself to send Terra-Xehanort back into the realm of light.

- Chapter 52: This Ends Now

**The pain in my body dulled to nothing as inspired adrenaline pumped into my veins. I hoisted myself up to my feet and summoned Ultima Weapon back to my side. Suddenly, it began to glow brightly. My weapon's length grew at least a foot. The light faded in an ombre effect, starting from the handle to the tip, slowly revealing the finished product: two Kingdom Keys crossed together in an X with the teeth facing outward, a large, sharp, golden blade placed between them. The entirety of the weapon- the blade, filigree, and the blades of the Kingdom Keys- gleamed with power. The keychain was a black and red heart, similar to the Heartless symbol, with two Kingdom Keys crossed over it. I held the weapon up and I stared at it in intense awe.**

_**What... is this thing?**_

That thing, Hallie, is the χ-blade. And I mean the _real_ thing. You're gonna see a lot more of that in the future.

- Chapter 55: A Memory in the Darkness

**"Hey, I'm not finished with you!" I cried. I stood up and ran towards Vanitas, but the portal closed. I was left there, curiously examining the Keyblade in my hand.**

_**He looked so angry when he saw Chaos Ripper... **_**I thought. **_**Ahllixe. He knew her. Were they friends or something?**_

**My heart began to ache.**

_**No... it was so much more...**_

Could this relationship between Vanitas and Ahllixe cause trouble _underneath the surface_?

* * *

><p>Thanks to you all for loving my Kingdom Hearts fan fictions as much as I do. They are my finest pieces of work. None of this wouldn't be possible without your support. I can't express how grateful I am to each and every one of you. I can't wait to share more about Hallie and those connected to her in future stories. You are all SUPER awesome, and don't you ever forget that!<p>

Stay tuned!

- SNOzzie6


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